Closer Look | Disapproved Adidas Argentina 1994 World Cup Kit

Adidas is set to release a new Argentina home kit for the 2019 Copa America this year. That got already leaked, and so we take a look back at a controversial story the Adidas x Argentina partnership that happened in 1994, the year of the 1994 World Cup. Thanks to La Casaca for the hint and En Una Baldosa for the background info.

To understand the story and its context, it is important to remember that the 1990s were the decade with the possible largest changes to football kit designs, with designers starting to add crazy designs and colors to football kits.

Former AFA President Julio Grondona Disapproved Adidas' Projected Argentina 1994 World Cup Jersey

Typically for the 1990s, the kit Adidas designed for Argentina for the 1994 World Cup was not as traditional as their classic kit. It featured the Albiceleste's (that means white and sky blue) traditional white and sky blue vertical stripes with unusual back lines between them. The long-term president of the Argentina Football Association (AFA), Julio Grondona, did not want that and disapproved the jersey.

Adidas was therefore forced to design a more traditional, only white and sky blue kit for the Argentina national team, which was ultimately worn in the 1994 World Cup.

But as Adidas had already stared selling the disapproved kit, fans bought and were spotted with jerseys that was never made official.

Reebok should take over the Argentina contract from Adidas ahead of the 1998 World Cup, and their second Adidas Argentina kit, released in 2000, featured an even more controversial design with thin black lines and partly horizontal! stripes.

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