Arsenal Takes Down Home Kit While Adidas Corrects ‘Design Error’
Arsenal’s official 2023/24 home shirts are being benched due to a “design error” that the team’s official kit maker Adidas is currently rectifying.
The authentic £110 (US$140) jerseys pay homage to Arsenal’s so-called ‘Invincible’ season 20 years back, when the soccer club seemingly breezed through an entire Premiere League season without a single defeat.
🚨Some snapshots of the new Arsenal home jersey from the Adidas Brazilian website pic.twitter.com/wXt1QsW4Dl
— Doc (@karthikadhaigal) May 25, 2023
The kit is meant to celebrate the legendary moment with a row of W’s (wins) and D’s (draws) symbolizing the 38 outcomes from the season, The Guardian reports.
Now, Adidas has demanded a recount, since the tees inaccurately represent only 32 out of 38 of the results. As such, sales for the kit are on pause.
Morning Gooners, a small update on the #ArsenalShirt Storm ⛈ï¸
— Arsenal Shirt Collection (@ArsenalShirt) June 21, 2023
ðŸ·ï¸The shirt is officially off-sale, confirmed by The Armoury. Authentic shirts are unavailable in the club shop.
💳Refunds have been issued to orders not sent.
🗓ï¸We expect the shirt to be rereleased in September https://t.co/VlHgjDT4Gi pic.twitter.com/3tbUGusLNA
Apologizing to fans for the “design error,” the sportswear giant says in a statement sent out to media outlets that the mistake “falls short of [its] standards,” and it is now correcting it.
The company mentions that it is working closely with the Arsenal team and manufacturing partners to roll out the updated jerseys promptly.
Full refunds will be issued to customers who have already paid for their shirts.
While the kinks are being worked out, Arsenal fans can still purchase a replica “fan” version directly from Arsenal’s official store for £80 (US$102).
[via The Independent and The Athletic, images via various sources]
