Sports shops throughout the country will be lamenting the failure of the Irish soccer team to qualify for the World Cup in South Africa more than most. While the rest of us will be shaking our fists towards our TV screens in anger at Henry, Domenech and the rest of the French cheats, those in the sports retail industry will have to find a new way to keep the bean counters ticking over as hundreds and thousands of Irish soccer jerseys remain attached to their hangers nationwide.
As long as you’re not following England or France (for obvious reasons), however, there are plenty of other teams to lend your allegiance to and make your summer of watching events in South Africa on the goggle box that bit more interesting.
What better way to display this new found allegiance than by proudly displaying your new team’s colours. The latest football jerseys are fine, but if you really want that extra bit of street cred, it’s worth having a look at some of the garments worn in other World cups down through the years.
Unfortunately, because of both their rarity and popularity, the prices of some of these jerseys have spiralled to ridiculous levels, but if you look hard enough, there are plenty of affordable vintage gems still on offer. JOE has had a trawl through the archives and chosen five numbers, each from a different continent that has been represented in the world’s premier soccer competition over the years.
Brazil 1970
Worn by possibly the greatest team ever to grace a football field, the Brazil jersey of 1970 is simple, sleek and understated; a complete contrast from the heroes that paraded it to glory in Mexico 40 years ago. Completely yellow apart from the prominent crest on the top right panel and a green tinge around the neck and ends of the sleeves, here’s hoping that it will be displayed by a large number of Brazil’s always delightful female supporters this summer.
Available from retrofootballclub.com for €49
ÂÂ
Japan 1980’s
Japanese jerseys are normally kept simple; they leave it to the player’s often flamboyant hairstyles to provide a bit of colour. This top from the 1980’s follows the trend but you can adorn it with a modern twist with the name and number of a current player, such as Shunsuke Nakamura on the back.
Available from subsidesports.com for €34.88*
ÂÂ
Holland 1998
Having had their jerseys made by Adidas and Lotto for years, the Dutch switched to Nike outfits during the 1998 World Cup in France with very pleasant results. We are particularly fond of the blue away jersey of the time but sadly, because not too many jerseys clash with orange, it was seen all too rarely.
Available from classicfootballshirts.co.uk for €32.56*
ÂÂ
Jamaica 1998
The Reggae Boyz brought their customary colour to their first and only World Cup appearance in France in 1998, wearing a fabulous green number decorated with a splash of black and yellow on the collar and a layered design on the left hand side. The Jamaican players, which included the likes of Frank Sinclair and Crazy Gang duo Robbie Earle and Marcus Gayle, played with a style that did justice to the jersey but couldn’t progress beyond the first round.
Available from classicfootballshirts.co.uk for €52.33*
ÂÂ
South Africa tee-shirt 2010
Most Adidas football jerseys from down the years will cost you an arm and a leg, but mindful of this, they have released a number of classic team tee-shirts ahead of the World Cup this summer. Argentina, Brazil, France, Sweden and Russia are all represented, but we are particularly fond of the South African version which contains all the colours of the flag of the Rainbow nation.
Available from adidas.com for €29*
*Prices converted from pounds sterling
