"That's the Serbian Flag": Russia National Team Refuses to Wear New Kit - Massive Fail for Adidas

Nov 16, 2019

by Footy Headlines

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Update: Confirming their firm stance on the new Adidas kit, the Russia national team used their 2018 kit in the match against Belgium today (1-4).

Embed from Getty Images

The Russian national team refuses to wear the new Adidas home kit due to the 'flag-inspired' sleeve cuffs resembling the Serbian flag much more than Russia's.

This was confirmed by Russia's football authorities. “In the upcoming games, the Russian national team will continue using the kit in which it began the qualifying round,” RFU officials told the AFP news agency.

The new Russia jersey features blue-white sleeve cuffs that, together with the red base, recreate the Serbian flag. Although this was pointed out immediately after the first leaks and again following the official launch, this massive error somehow went past Adidas' designers.

Funnily enough, the Colombia and Germany shirts, just a couple to feature the same concept, have the colors in the correct order.

Adidas described the design of the shirt as “reintroducing the strong, bold colours of the nation’s flag”.

“Great uniform for the Serbian team… so when will you unveil the Russian uniform?” Instagram user @ilyasergeich wrote under an Adidas post about the Russian kit.

Meanwhile team manager Stanislav Cherchesov had an interesting take on the controversial design: “When fans support the team by clapping with their arms in the air, you’ll be able to see the Russian flag on the sleeves,” he said.