Brazil Federation Sue Umbro for "Relaunching" 1994 World Cup Kit

Oct 16, 2022

by Chris

13 views

Last month, ahead of the 2022 World Cup, British Double Diamond brand Umbro launched a special unbranded national team collection inspired by iconic classic kits of the past. Now the Brazilian Football Confederation (CBF) take action against Umbro's "remake".

Umbro Brings Back Brazil, England & More Iconic World Cup Kits

Sep 28, 2022

The "remake" comes with a fantasy Brazil badge

Umbro had been sponsoring the Brazilian national team from 1991 until 1996, including the 1994 World Cup that Brazil won. Nike took over in 1997 and has been making the kits for the Seleção since then.

Brazilian Football Confederation Sue Umbro For "Re-Releasing" Brazil 1994 World Cup-Winning Kit

The CBF will sue Umbro for taking advantage of its intellectual property by launching a shirt reminiscent of the 1994 World Cup kit. The CBF allege that there was “misuse of property”. This was first reported by the Brazilian specialist website, Máquina do Esporte, and confirmed by other sources.

The remake comes with a fantasy crest

Nike do not want to get involved

Nike say that they won't take action and do not want to be involved in the conflict.

“The responsibility for looking after partnerships, contracts, and intellectual property rights related to the Brazilian team lie with the CBF”, informed Nike.

Máquina do Esporte also contacted Umbro to comment on the matter. The company said it is not aware of any lawsuit.

"Regarding the news published in Máquina do Esporte regarding the new The Nations collection, Umbro Brasil informs that it has not received any legal notices on the subject."

England 1990 vs 2022 "Remake"

Indeed, the England Umbro 1990 remake kit is even more similar to the original jersey. It comes with a very fake crest - otherwise, it could be a sought-after item.

The fake logos destroy them for us

Our Judgement

With Umbro just mimicking the look of the Brazil 1994 World Cup kit without using any intellectual properties of the CBF, we don't think the claim is justified. This has been done by many other brands in the past without problems.

Do you think the claim of the Brazilian Football Confederation is justified here? Comment below.