Haiti forced – Haiti must replace its World Cup jersey design after FIFA rejected a depiction of the Haitian War of Independence during the approval process, echoing a similar Olympic uniform censure earlier this year. The changes arrive just months after Haiti was required
MILAN — Haiti is set to step into a World Cup spotlight while still wrestling with a different kind of showdown: what counts as politics in international sport.
The Caribbean nation has been forced to change the design of its World Cup jersey after FIFA deemed it too political just months after Haiti had to amend its Winter Olympic uniforms.
The World Cup kit, made by Colombian sportswear manufacturer Saeta, originally carried a depiction of the final battle of the Haitian War of Independence in 1803 on the front. That image was rejected during FIFA’s approval process, leaving Haiti with a jersey redesign to meet FIFA’s rules.
Saeta said in a statement Wednesday that it would comply with the ban even though the design “was not intended as a political statement,” saying instead it was “a tribute to the men and women who contribute every day to Haiti’s future.”
The company described the jersey’s look as a deliberate mix: blue to mirror the sea and red for the nation’s “strength and passion.” Players wore the now-banned version in a warmup match against Peru last week, and the original design was listed as sold out on the SaetaUSA online shop.
The FIFA action landed in the same year Haiti already faced a similar demand from the Olympic movement. The International Olympic Committee required the removal of an image of Haitian founding father Toussaint Louverture from Haiti’s opening ceremony uniforms for the Milan Cortina Winter Games. ruling it violated Olympic rules that bar political symbolism.
Italian-Haitian designer Stella Jean, who created the Olympic uniforms, addressed the restriction by painting over Louverture’s figure so that only a horse remained against tropical foliage. She later produced a version for wider release that brought back the original Louverture image.
“Either way, Haiti has to be setting a record: Two rebukes from the highest international sports authorities in just a few months,” Jean told The Associated Press on Thursday.
As Haiti adjusts once again, the timing is sharp. The squad opens World Cup play on Saturday against Scotland in Foxborough, Massachusetts. It then faces five-time champion Brazil on June 19 in Philadelphia before playing Morocco on June 24 in Atlanta.
Haiti’s independence came in 1804, and it is widely regarded as the world’s first independent nation founded by formerly enslaved people after a successful slave revolt.
Haiti World Cup FIFA World Cup jersey Saeta FIFA approval Haitian War of Independence 1803 Peru warmup Scotland Brazil Morocco Winter Olympics Milan Cortina IOC Toussaint Louverture Stella Jean