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Ricky Zililo, Senior Sports Reporter
ZIFA official kit sponsor Umbro has given the national association nine options to select designs for the gear national teams will don.
The English sportswear and football equipment supplier and Zifa signed a three-year deal that will see it providing a full consignment of training equipment, travelling gear and playing kits for all national teams, including women and various age-groups.
Umbro will supply new kit for each of the national teams’ games as well as provide replicas for sale.
Chronicle Sport has it in good authority that Zifa was given nine designs, three for the home kit, three for the away kit and another three for the alternative kit.
The first consignment is expected before the Warriors’ Afcon qualifier against Congo-Brazzaville to be played in Harare on March 24.
According to a brochure that Umbro gave Zifa, all the jersey features will be “100% polyester lightweight micro eyelet, 100% polyester mash, with ribbed round neck collar, diamond sleeve ends tape and embroidered logos”.
Shorts features are “100% polyester lightweight micro eyelet, 100% polyester mash, elasticated waist band with draw cord and embroidered logos”.
The socks’ features are “100% polyester, elastane poly blend, fitted ribbed top panel, arch support and cushioned sole”.
The three samples for the home jersey, whose colour is predominantly yellow, will be fused with red. The shorts are all yellow. For the away kit, the first sample has a green jersey with red embroidery on the sleeve and a yellow short with red socks.
The second away optional design is a green jersey with slanting red lines on it, green short and green socks.
The third away sample is a green shirt, green short and green socks.
Zifa will also choose an alternative kit, in case there is a clash of colours. All shorts for alternative kits are white, with the top for the first option being plain white.
The second option jersey is white, with the left side having vertical Zimbabwe flag colours and the third top has green infused on white.
The three-year deal brokered by South African-based company, FC Cape Town Consulting, who besides offering intermediary services for sponsorship acquisitions and sports marketing services, are also at the forefront of implementation and execution of the “Fifa Regulations on the Status and Transfer of Players”.
FC Cape Town Consultancy have the exclusive rights of supplying Umbro kits across Africa and have been at the forefront in terms of offering Fifa training and development compensation to clubs and solidarity payment mechanism, which afford clubs to get compensation every time a player moves.
Contacted for comment on the Zifa-Umbro deal, FC Cape Town Consultancy said: “FC Cape Town Consulting did the deal and we are currently working tirelessly behind the scenes to add more to the Zifa brand, but cannot disclose anything at this stage.”
Zifa spokesman Xolisani Gwesela declined to comment on the leaked designs and also couldn’t be drawn to state the dates for the first delivery of the much awaited Umbro jerseys. “I’m not aware of those. I’m not sure of their source. I therefore cannot confirm the authenticity,” said Gwesela.
— @ZililoR.
Online Reporter