Haiti’s uniform for the World Cup will have to be changed as determined by FIFA, reported Saeta, the sports equipment company responsible for manufacturing.
In a statement released on its social networks, the company said that FIFA, in the midst of a process of reviewing the material, considered that visual elements could have different interpretations “in light of its regulations for equipment” and, therefore, requested changes.
Saeta does not detail, in the note, what these visual elements would be, but says that the creation process sought to celebrate the “pride, resistance and spirit of the Haitian people”.
The statement states that many concepts were worked on and refined over the course of months, always subject to FIFA standards.
The visual element subject to “different interpretations” would be a representation alluding to the Battle of Vertières, an important historical milestone in Haiti’s independence from France.
In another post on Instagram, Saeta presented the design of the World Cup kits in a video and shows the detail near the hem of the shirts, with the inscription 1974-2026. The year 1974 marked the last time the Haitian football team qualified for the tournament.
“Saeta’s final design was intended to be a tribute to the men and women who contribute daily to the future of Haiti and was not intended as a political manifesto”, says the manufacturer, in a statement.
Haiti is one of Brazil’s opponents in the group stage and arrives at the World Cup in a particular situation, with its players living far from the territory.
The country is now also the only one in the Americas whose citizens are prevented from traveling to the United States, co-host of the tournament alongside Mexico and Canada.
