"Totally Annoying": Schalke 04 Face Quality Control Disaster With 26-27 Away Kit
42 minutes ago, by Phan Tich Giay
- Quality Control Disaster: Schalke 04's popular 26-27 away kit, despite high sales, faced a major quality control issue with fans reporting numerous printing defects like crooked sponsor logos and misaligned names/numbers.
- Merchandising Partner at Fault: The printing defects were attributed to Schalke's merchandising partner, 11teamsports, responsible for applying sponsor logos and player details, rather than the kit supplier Adidas.
- Club's Remedial Actions: Schalke responded by halting deliveries to manually inspect approximately 17,000 jerseys, causing severe delivery bottlenecks, and offered free exchanges for defective shirts along with complimentary match tickets for affected customers.
FC Schalke 04's retro-inspired 26-27 away kit was widely praised as one of the best releases of the summer, selling an astonishing 60,000 units shortly after launch. However, what was poised to be an enormous commercial triumph has turned into a major logistical and quality control headache for the club. Numerous supporters who received their jerseys took to social media to share glaring printing defects, most notably crooked and misaligned Beumer Group sponsor logos across the chest, as well as mismatched and poorly applied player names and numbers on the back. Thanks to Fussballdaten.
Schalke 04 Face Quality Control Disaster With 26-27 Away Kit
While Adidas supplies the blank kits, the application of sponsor logos, names, and numbers is handled by the club's merchandising partner, 11teamsports. In response to the wave of complaints and defective deliveries, Schalke took the unusual step of halting regular dispatches to manually inspect roughly 17,000 remaining jerseys one by one before sending them out.
This comprehensive quality check has caused severe delivery bottlenecks, pushing some customer order arrivals back into October and November.
Schalke 26-27 Away Kit Printing Issues
Addressing the debacle in an interview with the WAZ, Schalke CEO Matthias Tillmann made no excuses for the situation: "That is totally annoying, that is not our standard. In this case, we unfortunately could not rely on our finishing partner as we have in the past".
While the club has stated it has no plans to terminate its partnership with 11teamsports, the entire workflow is now undergoing review. Beyond offering free exchanges for defective shirts, Schalke and their partner are compensating affected supporters whose orders failed quality control with a free ticket to an upcoming home match at the Veltins-Arena.
What do you think about Schalke being unable to control the quality of the printing on their jerseys? Comment below.
FUS Rabat 26-27 Home & Away Kits Released
Moroccan Botola Pro side FUS Rabat has officially unveiled its new home and away kits for the 26-27 season, manufactured by Spanish brand Joma. The capital club steps into the new campaign with a coordinated and sharp visual identity across both strips.
The Joma FUS Rabat 26-27 home shirt is predominantly red, anchored by a prominent central white stripe that runs down the body, broken only for the main sponsor. The fabric features an understated tonal texture throughout, accompanied by a clean white crew neck collar. Inverting the look, the 26-27 away shirt relies on a clean white base centered around a bold red vertical stripe and matching red accents.
Both jerseys carry the traditional FUS Rabat crest on the left chest, with Novec Groupe CDG and Cosumar featured as shirt sponsors. The away kit also includes neat Arabic calligraphy spelling out "Rabat" on the upper back above the player names and numbers. Matching shorts and socks complete the Moroccan club's new 26-27 wardrobe.
Sam Kerr Debuts Nike Mercurial Superfly 11 Signature Boots
Sam Kerr has officially given her new Nike Mercurial signature boots their on-pitch debut, stepping out for Gotham FC in the vibrant design. Following Nike's official launch of the pair on September 21, 2026, the Australian forward wasted no time lacing them up for competitive action. Kerr took to the pitch wearing her preferred low-cut iteration of the silhouette, continuing her longstanding preference for low collars over the high dynamic fit collar.
This boot follows Kerr's debut signature Mercurial from 2025, which took inspiration from the coastal beaches of her hometown Perth.
Croatia Debuts Adidas 26-27 Away Kit
Croatia officially kicked off its new era with Adidas on Saturday night, debuting the 26-27 away kit during a 2-1 UEFA Nations League victory against Czechia in Prague. The match marked the first on-pitch appearance for the Vatreni in the three stripes following the conclusion of their 26-year partnership with Nike this summer.
The new Croatia 26-27 away strip is predominantly deep blue and features an intricate tonal graphic inspired by the country's centuries-old lacemaking heritage from regions such as Pag and Lepoglava. The textured pattern is complemented by vibrant coral red accents across the V-neck collar, sleeve cuffs, and shoulder stripes, while the chest features a clean white Trefoil logo opposite the federation crest.
Completed with matching deep blue shorts and socks, the kit looked sharp on the pitch and has earned praise from supporters for its blend of cultural motifs and modern detailing.
