North Macedonia Still Wear 6-Year-Old Kits - Even In The 2022 World Cup If They Qualify?
Do you recall the last time when North Macedonia released a set of kits? It happened not too long ago, as it turns out. However, the jerseys that Jako provided the nation with for the Euro 2020 were never worn in any matches.
Pandev was the captain of the North Macedonia national team until deciding to retire from international football in 2021, following UEFA Euro 2020.
North Macedonia Continue to Use 2016 Kits
Rejected Euro 2020 kit
There was a huge uproar amongst North Macedonians regarding the color of the new 2021 home shirt, which utilized a darker shade of red than usual. Fans were not happy with the fact that their national colors were not properly showcased on their new kit.
North Macedonia rejected the new EURO 2020 kits following fan criticism
As a result of the backlash, at the Euro 2020 the national team opted to wear the old Jako-made kits, which had in fact been released back in 2016.
And now for the first international games in 2022, North Macedonia can still be seen wearing the old 2016 kits. It is quite apparent that fans have become attached to this now almost iconic design.
Both kits, especially the home, incorporate not just the flag's colors, but also the stylized sun rays, which originate from the North Macedonian FA badge.
In terms of what will happen with the 2021 set of jerseys, no official information was ever released. However, at this point it seems unlikely that they will ever be worn by the North Macedonian national team.
🇲🇰 #EURO2020 #TeamMacedonia #НапредМакедонија pic.twitter.com/2JwmePEsjV
— JAKO AG (@JAKO_info) May 28, 2021
It remains to be seen what Jako's next move will be, since obviously at some point North Macedonia will decide to move away from the 2016 shirts.
Check out classic North Macedonia kits on Football Kit Archive
What do you think of this longterm use of North Macedonia's 2016 home and away kits? Comment below.
