Haiti have changed their World Cup shirts, which depicted a war scene from the country’s battle for independence, after Fifa said they had violated its regulations on political speech, manufacturer Saeta said on Wednesday.
Colombia-based Saeta said it had collaborated with the Haitian Football Federation on the design, which it said “celebrated the pride, resilience, and spirit” of the Haitian people and was not intended as a political statement.
“During the review process, Fifa determined that certain visual elements could be interpreted differently under its equipment regulations and ultimately requested modifications to the design,” Saeta said in a statement.
“While this interpretation differed from our intention, Saeta respected the process and implemented the final requirements communicated by Fifa.”
The shirts had a silhouetted illustration of the Battle of Vertières in 1803, which secured Haiti’s independence, on its right hip. Haitian footballers wore the shirt during their friendlies against Peru on June 5 and New Zealand on June 2.
In 1803, revolutionary leader Jean-Jacques Dessalines tore the white band off of a French flag to create a new flag for “the world’s first free Black republic”. Dessalines later became the nation’s first emperor. May 18 is celebrated as Haitian
Flag Day.
The iconography appeared on all three of Haiti’s shirts released by Saeta ahead of the Cup.
According to the Fifa equipment regulations, the use of any “political, religious, or personal messages or slogans” on the kit is prohibited.
This is the second time this year that Haiti has had to change its sporting kit. The International Olympic Committee ordered Haiti’s ski suits to be redesigned before the Winter Olympics in Milan as that too depicted a revolutionary.
Haiti open their World Cup campaign against Group C opponents Scotland on Saturday in Boston.
They are then due to face South American giants Brazil in Philadelphia on June 19, followed by African heavyweights Morocco five days later, in Atlanta, US.
With inputs from Reuters
