Am I the only one who seems to be having a problem appreciating with the new set of jerseys for our beloved national soccer? Before I proceed to express my specific concerns about the new kit, I would like to refer to an article I wrote some weeks back in which I questioned African teams’ ability to brand themselves. I further questioned why big teams on the African continent still wear European club replica kits which my view is a sign of lack of originality.
In that article I also praised the Football Association Zambia (FAZ) for finally settling for a set of kits that truly represented our national colors before and at the 2012 Africa Cup of Nations. Many will agree with me that the set of kit worn by the Chipolopolo at the 2012 Equatorial Guinea/ Gabon Africa Cup of Nations were not only colorful but unique to the extent that one needed not look at the outfit twice to know that it was a Zambian jersey. This is the jersey that has been heavily counterfeited to an extent that even this author only realized after a long time that the words of the Football Association of Zambia emblem read “Football Assoclation of Zambia” and not otherwise.
Having said that, am sure all readers and soccer fans will agree with me that it is the green with stripes of red, black and orange plus either black or green shorts that we have become comfortable with . Additionally, away games would see Zambia don orange tops with green shorts and orange stockings. When the Football Association of Zambia announced that our beloved chipolopolo dressed by Nike would have a new kit, I was so expectant and for several weeks, I envisioned how the kit looked like as I was sure nothing could beat the creativity of our dressers. During the wait, I was so sure that the new kit will maintain the same design with some slight changes to enhance its appeal.
It was presented to the nation and for a moment I thought it was a hoax!! For a moment, I thought to myself FAZ was undertaking a mission to ‘rebrand’ the team like political party. For a moment it appeared to me like FAZ was on some sort of a mission to rid itself of the past and needed to be seen I a different light all together. When a friend of mine came with the replica jersey of the new kit and asked for my opinion, I told him that I would rather stick to the old replica kit because it identified with me and my pride as a Zambian. That is the kind of kit that needs no introduction at any major or international airport around Africa. Sadly it appears to have been consigned to the archives.
The question I have always had since FAZ ‘rebranded’ the team is if the really reflected on the importance of branding for the national team. In my considered view, the new kit is a ‘miss’, am not trying to grandstand on this matter but am sure several people out there share this point of view. If you go anywhere in the world class team has attempted to position themselves to ensure that they retain a distinctive and durable perception in the minds of the fans. Brazil, France, England, Germany, Cameron, Nigeria, Ivory Coast, Tunisia, Tanzania and even countries like Uganda are teams that have for a longtime have branded their kit wit national colors intertwined with uniqueness and originality. That set of kit that appears to have been shelved will probably go down in our history as a nation as the most worn replica jersey both locally and internationally because it has a legacy of success, a legacy of Champions.
That is the kit that has won recognition, loyalty, image, reliability and quality around the world! Brand experts will agree with me that a strong brand projects an image of quality and loyalty. Why has FAZ opted to throw all that power and rich legacy to the wind? If one takes a look at teams that made it to the 2013 African Cup of Nations, they still maintained their kit and if they did alter it, the alterations where minor. This can been seen in teams like Burkina Faso, Mali, Angola, Ivory Coast, Tunisia, and Ghana who wore improved kits of the ‘original kits’ and at one glance, one would easily identify them. This was not the case with Zambia; they wore completely different oversized looking kits that lacked originality, image and recognition!
In the light of this I would like to urge the Football Association of Zambia to swallow their pride and give us a jersey that is truly representative of our national colors and Pride. The kits that were worn at the 2013 South Africa Afcon should be relegated to the Under 23s,20 and 17 while the 2012 legacy Jerseys to be improved upon without tampering with our national colors. For a Pan-Africanist like me, national colors at too important! With that said, you can now ask me if I have bought the new replica.
No comments:
Post a Comment