Euro 2012 will kick off on June 8, 2012, and the sixteen teams will all want to look their best. Vavel UK takes a look at the 32 sartorial offerings.
GROUP A
Poland : One of the co-hosts will wear Nike, with two sober offerings in the colours of their flag. Both feature a horizontal band, and the first one sit the squad number on that band, while the away one fills it with national emblems and the customary Nike logo.
Russia : The continent’s largest country will sport Adidas, who have given both shirts a triple diagonal line downward from right to left in the colors of the flag. The brand’s logo will be in the centre, under the neck. Red and white are the dominant colors.
Greece : The European champions of 2004 will wear Adidas, with the first kit white and second blue- the two colors of the national flag. The neck will be different for both shirts- the white shirt has a V-neck, while its blue cousin, hugs the neck with round collar. Both include horizontal and vertical lines coming out of the shield, displacing the brand logo to sit just above the nipple.
Czech Republic : The first of the two Puma designs will be worn by the Czechs. Rosicky, the Cech and co will wear red and white shirts, leaving only the trim and piping for the third color of the flag- blue. The home shirt features a watermark with small squares, cut off by a diagonal line, with the team’s badge one a blue band which ends at the same point as the watermark. The alternate jersey has fewer frills, understated white design. Red makes an appearance in the badges and neck, while the blue cuffs add a touch of class.
GROUP B
Germany : The Germans will wear- who else?- Adidas. The brand of Beckenbauer have dropped the black away colours from the South Africa World Cup and dressed their compatriots in a classy green number, as they did on the past. The shirt’s green horizontal stripes of different shades meet a boldly rounded white collar. The home shirt’s only features of note are thin lines down left to right in the black, red and yellow of the Bundesdienstflagge und Kriegsflagge.
Denmark : The Danish wear Adidas, who have placed huge slabs of white onto the shoulders of the main shirt, in a clear nod to Hummel kit in which the Danes were crowned European champions in 1992. The second strip is discordantly more modern, in white with red and two black triangles poking out from the rounded collar.
Netherlands : Van Marwijk’s men will wear their iconic orange, with a home shirt noticable for two shades of orange that replace the usual uniformity. The trim will be in black and the away top features the same colors in reverse, with an orange panel showing off the Nike logo.
Portugal : Cristiano Ronaldo, Nani and co dressed in his usual red home kit, but without the green horizontal band of the last World Cup. The country’s second colour is reserved for only the small details. The alternate jersey ditches the double vertical strip of the old model to make way for a double cross that runs from top to bottom and from left to right.
GROUP C
Spain : The defending champions will hope to retain their crown in a kit similar to the one that saw them made champions. The main protagonist is the red, with distinctive amber stripes and dark blue piping. The second model has raised more eyebrows, as light blue comes to the fore, ditching the navy in which they won the World Cup.
Italy : The Azzurri will wear Puma. Italy won the 2006 World Cup in Puma and the relationship now seems unbreakable. Cesare Prandelli’s team will wear the usual Azzurri home shirt, in a design that highlights some bright diagonal lines covering the entire shirt, and some old-fashioned buttons on the collor. The second shirt will be white with a blue horizontal stripe, a design similar to that of 1954. The brand logo, the team’s emblem, and the player’s number will all be piled into this stripe .
Croatia : Whatever team Slaven Bilic picks will wear the classic red and white squares. Nike are in charge once again of the design, and have given the Croats a blue away kit boasting a triangle that comes from the shoulders and neck and ends in the center of the left side. They’ve filled this will more red and white squares and the team badge.
Ireland : This is a peculiar case, as the Irish national team is one of the few who wear a shirt sponsor. But the sponsor can not be worn in official matches, maiking it hard for fans to wear the same shirt as their heroes. Umbro’s home model will be emerald green, two-tone and gold vertical lines. The change stri is white with a vertical strip of three shades of green, which holds the team badge.
GROUP D
Ukraine : The remaining co-host will wear Adidas. Both shirts, which alternate yellow and blue, will have a horizontal strip which depicts images of the local artistic culture through a watermark .
France : Nike signed a deal last season to tailor the France team, and the offerings so far have been well recieved by critics and fans alike. The first kit will be blue with horizontal stripes, with gold detail. The away jersey is all white, except for the sleeves where we can see a thin horizontal lines.
England : Roy Hodgson’s players will be dressed, as always, by Umbro. The red highlights in the details, instead of blue models earlier, is a departure from the popular kit worn to the 2010 World Cup. Following the policy of changing colors Umbro has decided that the alternate jersey will be blue instead of the more usual red.
Sweden : With Umbro dressing Enrik Hamrém’s men, the home kit shows off some thin blue vertical lines that break up the dominant yellow. The same colours feature on the away top, which is blue with a yellow stripe across, diagonally from upper right.
Analysis by brands
Adidas (Germany, Spain, Ukraine, Russia, Denmark and Greece): The German brand, after the loss of France as one of its champions, has its greatest hopes for Spain and Germany for the title. Adidas have remained their true values and the home kits are very traditional. Not the case with the away kits.They also designed the tournament ball, Tango 12.
Nike (Portugal, Holland, France, Croatia and Poland): The American brand has invested heavily in Euro 2012, and to maintain the continuous transgression that characterizes them, their models are fantastically attractive environmentally friendly, because their shirts are made from recycled plastics . Their title chances lie mainly with France, Holland, and Portugal, although the latter two will face off the group stage.
Umbro (England, Ireland and Sweden): The brand based in Cheadle, England, was acquired by Nike in October 2007. Their designs have been succefully accepted. England is the brand´s best hope of the title.
Puma (Italy and Czech Republic): The german brand will have only two representatives. Italy is the only one with title options while the Czech Republic will try to achieve a place in the quarter-finals from a group that everybody considers the easiest one.
