Jamaicans seeing ‘red’ over national kits

The newly released Adidas national football jerseys, made in collaboration with the Bob Marley Foundation, have divided fan reactions online as several Jamaicans are seeing ‘red’ over the choice in colours on the home and away kits.

The Jamaica Football Federation (JFF) made a switch in kit suppliers for its national teams in 2023, leaving their partnership with Umbro to enter a new partnership with Adidas.

The first collection of the partnership was released in January 2023, with the home and away kits designed by world-renowned fashion designer Grace Wales Bonner, who holds Jamaican heritage through her father.

In 2024, Adidas released their second collection of the partnership, with the home and away kit inspired by Jamaican culture, which drew praises from Jamaica fans online.

However, the third collection of the partnership, which was revealed yesterday, has received mixed reactions overt the use of red in both the home and away kits.

The kits, designed in collaboration with the Bob Marley Foundation, is heavily inspired by reggae music, and the Rastafari community.

Both kits feature the colour red, alongside the national colours of black, green and gold.

In a post on Instagram, the JFF explained the kits were designed to celebrate Jamaica’s culture through reggae music.

“The Home jersey celebrates Jamaica’s vibrancy and joy, drawing from the visual language of reggae,” the post reads.

“Bold gold, vivid green, pure ruby. These colours carry the emotion and energy of a genre that represents unity, resistance, and pride. On the pitch, the shirt becomes sound in motion, connecting past and present through rhythm.”

The post continues, “The Away jersey interprets reggae through movement.

“A black base creates depth and contrast, with gold, green, and ruby details inspired by sound waves and vinyl records. The design reflects the digital sound waves captured during a recording session of Bob Marley.”

ONLINE REACTION

However, the use of the colour red has not been well received by several fans online, who believe it does not belong on the national jerseys.

One such user, @mcknz02 on X (formerly known as Twitter), said she believed red should not have been used as Jamaica holds the distinction as the only country to not have the colours red, white or blue in its flag.

“Our country doesn’t have red in our flag, one of the most unique things about our flag, the colours mean something,” said @mcknz02.

Another X user, @jaevionn, said he did not like the new jerseys as he felt they did not represent the island as well as the previous two Adidas jerseys.

“I do not like the new kits. I doesn’t give that proud Jamaican feeling like the others.”

Jamaica are expected to debut the new jerseys when the Reggae Boyz take on Martinique in an international friendly on February 21.

gregory.bryce@gleanerjm.com