Serie A to Abandon Controversial Orange Ball After Color Blindness Concerns
Dec 30, 2025, by Chris
- Orange Ball Abandoned: Serie A will stop using the orange Puma winter ball due to concerns that it is invisible to people with color blindness.
- Replacement Ball Color: Serie A will switch back to using either a yellow or white ball to improve visibility for all supporters and players.
- Production Demands: The transition away from the orange ball will take time because Serie A needs a large quantity of replacement balls, roughly 500 per week.
Serie A will replace its controversial orange Puma winter ball after discovering the design is invisible to people with color blindness.
Serie A to Switch to White or Yellow Ball
The Italian league introduced the orange ball, the Puma Orbita Hi-Vis, from matchday 12 of the current season. Serie A had moved away from the traditional yellow ball commonly used in winter months, believing the orange ball would provide better contrast in poor playing conditions.
However, Serie A officials failed to consider that the orange ball is practically invisible to supporters and players suffering from color blindness, making it a non-inclusive choice that has drawn widespread criticism.
Lega Serie A president Ezio Simonelli confirmed the league has requested its supplier to produce replacement balls, though the transition away from the orange ball will not happen immediately due to production complexities.
"We have received many justified protests on this issue, there are people who cannot see the ball due to color blindness," Simonelli explained in an interview with Rai Radio 1. "We have asked our supplier to prepare a quantity of new balls."
The production demands are substantial as Serie A requires 25 balls per match, totaling 500 per week, not including training balls provided to each team. The orange ball has been used since November 22, when Bologna defeated Udinese 3-0, and has featured in five consecutive matchdays.
"They've put new balls into production with a more visible color, but it will be a while before the orange ball is replaced. We'll go back to yellow or white," Simonelli confirmed.
However, Footy Headlines believes that Serie A could easily switch to the white ball, which was launched at the start of the season and of which the teams are likely to still have a few left. Also, you should not need 25 new balls per game, they should last much longer.
Should Serie A have tested the orange ball with color blind supporters before introducing it? Let us know in the comments below.
Jablonec 26-27 Home Kit Released
Czech First League club FK Jablonec and new technical partner Macron have officially launched the team's new home kit for the 26-27 season. Replacing previous supplier Capelli, Macron has created a custom design that reflects a new visual direction for the club.
The Macron FK Jablonec 26-27 home shirt features a deep bottle green base accented by a white crew-neck collar and white sleeve cuffs with green piping. Across the front panel is a subtle, custom tonal graphic pattern that incorporates elements of Jablonec's updated brand identity. White Macron logos adorn the right chest, paired with white sponsor detailing and the club's modern crest on the left chest.
Alongside the home shirt, Jablonec also unveiled their new goalkeeper jersey, which stands out with a black base covered in vibrant diagonal slashes in red, orange, and yellow. The full range will be available via the official club store.
FC Barcelona 26-27 Away Kit Font Features Oversized Letter Typo
FC Barcelona's new 26-27 away kit, created as part of an exclusive Nike x Barça x Kobe Bryant collaboration, features a bespoke custom typeface dubbed the Gold Mamba font. However, detailed photos from the club's official store have revealed an unannounced design flaw in the nameset. On goalkeeper Joan García's jersey, the initial letter J appears dramatically oversized compared to the rest of the letters.
The error was first highlighted on social media by kit insider @memorabilia1899 and @@jerseystory_vn. In close-up images of Joan García's shirt, the capital J drops well below the baseline of the letters O, A, and N, creating an awkward disparity in sizing. The rest of the custom typeface otherwise features sophisticated serif details and metallic gold or monochrome outline finishes designed specifically for the Kobe Bryant-inspired collection.
Despite the noticeable typo, reports indicate that FC Barcelona will not immediately recall or replace the flawed shirts. Instead, the club plans to sell through the existing physical stock printed with the initial flawed batch before releasing an updated, corrected version of the nameset to retailers and fans.
The Gold Mamba custom font remains one of the defining visual features of Barcelona's 26-27 away kit collection, which blends a purple-to-black gradient palette with iridescent serpent-inspired detailing. Once the current stock of namesets is exhausted, Barcelona and Nike are expected to roll out the revised font with properly proportioned lettering for future shirt printing.
Deportivo Amatitlán 26-27 Home Kit Released
Guatemalan club Deportivo Amatitlán has officially unveiled its new home kit for the 26-27 season, made by sports brand Tuto. The new shirt retains the club's classic visual identity while introducing updated graphic detailing.
The Tuto Deportivo Amatitlán 26-27 home jersey features a traditional white base highlighted by a prominent red sash running diagonally across the front and continuing around the back. Dark collar trim and dark sleeve cuffs with red edging outline the design, while a subtle houndstooth-style textured pattern is woven into the main body fabric.
Tuto's logo is positioned centrally on the chest, with the club emblem applied on the left chest over the red sash. The back of the jersey displays player numbering over the sash alongside several local sponsor logos and the club's motto printed along the lower hem.
Retro-Inspired SV Meppen 26-27 Home, Away & Third Kits Released
German club SV Meppen and kit supplier Jako have officially unveiled the team's new home, away, and third kits for the 26-27 season. Following the release of pre-season training shirts earlier in the month, the complete match set adopts a heavy retro influence centered around vintage brand logo usage and classic crest execution.
The home and away jerseys share a distinct color-blocked shoulder template. The home shirt features a white body with royal blue panels running across the chest and shoulders, while the away kit reverses the colors to feature a blue body with white upper accents. Both kits showcase a vintage boxed JAKO SPORT logo on the right chest opposite a retro-styled SV Meppen crest on the left.
Completing the collection, the 26-27 third kit comes in black with subtle tonal vertical pinstripes. It opts for a centered arrangement, placing the white retro Jako logo directly above the classic club emblem in the center of the chest. The shirt is finished with a black-and-white ribbed V-neck collar and matching sleeve cuffs featuring a touch of blue detail.
Special-Edition Adidas Predator 26 "1994" Leather Boots Leaked
A new image of the special-edition Adidas Predator 26 "1994" leather boots has been shared by PJ, offering a detailed look at the tribute design honoring the historic year the iconic franchise was introduced. Featuring a black leather upper paired with striking red accents, the boot incorporates a fold-over tongue, rubber strike elements inspired by the original 1994 model, red "1994" text on the heel, tally mark detailing on the instep, and a bold metallic red finish on the front section of the soleplate.
Red Next-Gen Adidas F50 Messi 26-27 Signature Boots Leaked
Thanks to PJ, we get a clearer look at the upcoming next-generation Adidas F50 Lionel Messi signature boots for the 26-27 season. The next Messi signature cleats feature a vibrant red upper combined with white side striping and black accents, alongside a fold-over tongue displaying Messi's personal logo.Red Next-Gen Adidas F50 Messi 26-27 Signature Boots Leaked - 6 New Pictures
Unfitting Multicolor Logo: Manchester United Unveil Microsoft Surface as New Back-of-Shirt Sponsor
Manchester United have officially introduced Microsoft Surface as their new back-of-shirt sponsor starting from the 26-27 season. The new branding replaces Microsoft Copilot, which previously featured on the back of the jerseys during the past two campaigns. The back-of-shirt placement comes as part of the club's ongoing primary shirt sponsorship deal with Snapdragon, which grants Qualcomm the right to nominate partner brands for secondary kit positioning.
The Microsoft Surface branding, featuring the company's four-color square logo alongside white typography, sits directly beneath the squad numbers.
Unfortunately, this colorful logo totally mismatches with the rest of the kit, resulting in an cheap-looking appearance.
It was debuted on-pitch during Manchester United's pre-season fixtures, including matches in their new blue 26-27 away kit. For the upcoming 26-27 campaign, the logo will appear on the men's first-team shirts during pre-season and domestic cup matches such as the FA Cup and League Cup, while remaining absent during Premier League and European fixtures.
Additionally, the Microsoft Surface logo will feature on the back of all Manchester United Women's team shirts for domestic matches across the 26-27 campaign, as well as on select academy team kits. As part of the expanded collaboration between Snapdragon, Microsoft, and Manchester United, the brands are also launching limited-edition co-branded Surface hardware for fans.
CONMEBOL Introduces Custom Champions Badges for Copa Libertadores Knockout Stage
Starting from the Round of 16 of the 2026 Copa Libertadores, CONMEBOL is introducing an updated, fully personalized champions badge for former tournament winners, as reported by chuyenaodau and jerseystory_vn.
Previously, former champions wore a uniform gold patch featuring the tournament logo and the total number of titles won. The new design moves away from the generic template: the shield-shaped badge now features the club's official colors and subtle graphic patterns in the background, alongside the iconic Copa Libertadores trophy, a large title count, and the specific years in which the club won the competition.
Early images reveal customized versions for several qualified sides, including Boca Juniors displaying six titles in blue and gold, alongside Flamengo, Palmeiras, and Fluminense.
Last Chance: FC Augsburg 26-27 Home Shirt Giveaway
As you maybe saw already, we have partnered with Bundesliga club FC Augsburg to offer our followers the chance to win an official FC Augsburg 26-27 home shirt.
To enter the giveaway, simply follow both @Footy_Headlines and @FCAugsburg on X, in addition to liking and reposting the contest announcement. The winner will be announced on July 26, 2026.
3 Adidas Boca Juniors 26-27 Retro Collections Leaked
Adidas is set to launch three retro and lifestyle collections for Boca Juniors during the 26-27 season. Huge thanks to Boca expert @marto_m3 and @KamilBerberler for the info.
The Argentine club will receive a "modern" Adidas Originals line alongside two historical capsule collections inspired by the iconic Stadium 1994 and EQT 1992 templates.
The main 26-27 Originals collection includes a track jacket, kangaroo hoodie, crewneck tee, woven shorts, and graphic t-shirt. The pieces feature the classic Adidas Trefoil logo paired with a starless Boca Juniors shield, adopting a dark blue and yellow color scheme with white detailing on the zip-up track jacket. This line aligns Boca Juniors with top European Adidas clubs receiving similar OG lifestyle drops.
In addition, the retro expansion brings back legendary nineties designs. The Linea Stadium 1994 range revives the distinctive blue and yellow diamond pattern across white jacket shoulders and matching shorts, while the Linea EQT 1992 series reproduces the bold shoulder block graphics on white and blue retro jerseys and track pants.
