International Football
POLL: BBC RANKS SUPER EAGLES’ 2018 ATTIRE AMONG WORLD ALL-TIME ICONIC FOOTBALL SHIRTS
Nigeria Super Eagles’ home shirt for the 2018 World Cup in Russia is still receiving global attention as BBC has shortlisted it among the 20 all-time iconic football shirts.
Voting opened on Wednesday for visitors to the BBC sports website to choose the best of the 20 shirts.
Among the shortlisted are those for 12 national teams with England listed thrice – the 1966 red strip, the 1990 attire and the England’s 2019 women’s strip.
Only Nigeria’s 2018 shirt and the 2002 sleeveless attire of Cameroon are the African jerseys that made the list. However, FIFA later outlawed the Cameroonian attire, claiming it was mere vest and failed the equipment regulations of football.
Cameroon hastily sewed black sleeves to the vests before they were allowed to be worn at the World Cup.
BBC embarked on the survey to coincide with the time of the year that clubs start preparing to reveal their kit designs for next season.
The shortlists are:
England 1966

We start with the long-sleeved red Umbro shirt in which England beat West Germany 4-2 to win the World Cup in 1966. Sir Alf Ramsey’s side only wore red at Wembley that day because the Germans won the toss to wear white. It’s still a shirt loved by Three Lions fans and worn regularly more than 50 years later.
Celtic 1967

This famous shirt was worn by Celtic’s ‘Lisbon Lions’ when they wrote their name into the history books with a 2-1 win over Inter Milan in Portugal to become the first British team to win the European Cup.
Brazil 1970

Very similar to most other Brazil kits, but this one is a retro classic. Worn by the great 1970 World Cup-winning side and the last shirt Pele sported before retiring from international duty.
Chelsea 1970

To avoid a clash with Leeds in the 1970 FA Cup final, Chelsea swapped their usual white socks, shirt piping and club badge to yellow. They went on to win 2-1, lifting the famous trophy for the first time in the club’s history. To celebrate the 50-year anniversary, the Blues wore a one-off modernised commemorative replica kit for their third-round home tie with Nottingham Forest in 2020.
Ajax 1971

Simple but an absolute beauty. It was in this kit that Ajax beat Panathinaikos 2-0 at Wembley as they won the first of three consecutive European Cup finals.
Mexico 1978
One for the history books. After missing the 1974 World Cup, Mexico arrived at Argentina 1978 in style. Their kits were designed and made by American denim giants Levi’s.
Boca Juniors 1981

This shirt screams Diego Maradona. It was the first shirt to feature Boca’s four-star crest alongside their famous blue and gold colours. Adidas pulled it out of the bag with this one by producing a shirt that is still sought after almost four decades later.
Belgium 1984

Although the 1984 European Championships were forgettable for the Belgians, who didn’t make it out of the group, this shirt lives long in the memory. The national team brought back the diamond design to inspire their 2018 World Cup kit.
Liverpool 1984

Liverpool wore a near-identical home shirt from 1983-1985, but this sponsorless edition worn for the 1984 European Cup final in Rome stands out. Joe Fagan’s side beat Roma on penalties that night, and the famous shirt was used to inspire the Reds’ 2019-20 kit.
Denmark 1986

Denmark made their World Cup debut in style. Much like the shirt’s split panels, the design divided opinion back in the day. But it was the first of its kind – Coventry and Southampton were among the clubs who later wore similar designs.
Netherlands 1988

One of the most sought-after shirts of all time. It’s safe to say the Netherlands looked the part as they won the European Championship for the first time.
Colombia 1990

Colombia always have great kits and they arrived at the 1990 World Cup after a 28-year hiatus from the competition with this absolute belter. The iconic design was used to inspire Los Cafeteros’ shirt for the 2018 World Cup in Russia.
England 1990

Bobby Robson’s side reached the semi-finals at Italia 90 in the World Cup that had it all. From Paul Gascoigne’s tears in Turin and THAT Chris Waddle penalty miss, to Gary Lineker’s vital goals, there are so many memories attached to this England shirt.
Man Utd 1990

Man Utd have had some great shirts over the years but this one is truly unique. The Aztec-style graphic on the away shirt was a fans’ favourite and remains popular today.
West Germany 1990

The shirt worn by the Germans as they beat Argentina to win the 1990 World Cup. The slick design has become a retro classic and is still as popular today as it was 30 years ago.
Arsenal 1991

Arsenal’s ‘bruised banana’ has to be one of the most legendary top-flight kits of the 1990s – if not ever. So popular, the Gunners used it as inspiration for their 2019-20 away shirt.
Barcelona 1997

It’s hard to find a bad Barca shirt from over the years but this away kit is a gem, and synonymous with Ronaldo, as this was the only season he spent with the Catalan giants. Worn in the 1997 Cup Winners’ Cup final where the Brazilian’s penalty was enough to beat Paris St-Germain in Rotterdam.
Cameroon 2002

One-of-a-kind, but Cameroon’s controversial sleeveless shirt didn’t go down well with everyone. It was banned by Fifa for the 2002 World Cup in Japan because ‘they’re not shirts… they’re vests’.
Nigeria 2018

Nigeria took the world by storm with this release for the 2018 World Cup. Fans queued for hours outside Nike’s flagship store in London to get their hands on one, and with three million pre-orders of the replica shirts, they sold out almost immediately after they were released.
England women 2019

There was a lot of hype around this release before the 2019 Women’s World Cup. It was the first time the Lionesses had their own exclusive kit, and the rose detail on the crimson shirts made it truly unique.
International Football
Former Brazil coach Tite taking break to take care of mental, physical health

Former Brazil coach Tite said he is taking an indefinite career break in order to take care of his mental and physical health.
The 63-year-old, who led Brazil to the 2019 Copa America title, was hospitalised due to a heart issue last August. He was sacked by Flamengo the following month and had most recently been linked with the Corinthians job.
“I realised that there are times when you have to understand that, as a human being, I can be vulnerable and admitting that will certainly make me stronger,” Tite said in a statement posted on his son Matheus Bachi’s Instagram on Tuesday.
“I’m passionate about what I do and I’ll continue to be so, but after talking to my family and observing the signals my body was giving off, I decided that the best thing to do now is to take a break from my career to look after myself for as long as it takes.
“As has become public, there was a conversation in progress with Corinthians, but it will have to be paralysed by a difficult but necessary decision.”
Tite, who stepped down as Brazil coach after their quarter-final exit from the 2022 World Cup, has previously coached a string of Brazilian sides including Gremio, Atletico Mineiro and Palmeiras.
-Reuters
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International Football
Brazil sack coach Dorival after humiliating loss to Argentina

Brazil have sacked head coach Dorival Jr, the country’s football confederation (CBF) said on Friday after the five-time world champions were thrashed 4-1 away to fierce rivals Argentina in a humiliating qualifying loss in Buenos Aires.
The 62-year-old was appointed in January 2024 after the team spent a year under two caretaker coaches as the Brazilian FA were unable to lure Italian Carlo Ancelotti from Real Madrid.
“The Brazilian Football Confederation informs that coach Dorival Jr is no longer in charge of the Brazilian national team,” the confederation said in a statement.
“The management thanks (Dorival) and wishes him success in continuing his career … the CBF will work to find his replacement,” it added.
Dorival was handed the job after his success with Flamengo in 2022 where he won the Copa Libertadores and Brazilian Cup, a trophy he lifted again the next year with Sao Paulo.
However, he never seemed to get to grips with the national team job and failed to earn the trust of Brazil’s demanding fans after winning only seven of his 16 games in charge.
Sources told Reuters the CBF was not confident in Dorival’s work, considering there had been little to no progress since a lacklustre Copa America campaign when Brazil were knocked out in the quarter-finals by Uruguay last year.
Still, the CBF was willing to wait and see until the 2026 World Cup qualifiers against Ecuador and Paraguay in June to reassess the situation following the end of the European season and the Club World Cup in the U.S. in June and July.
But after Brazil slumped to their heaviest-ever loss in a qualifier when they were thrashed by Argentina this week, CBF president Ednaldo Rodrigues decided to pull the trigger.
IDEAL CANDIDATE
Sources told Reuters Ancelotti was still the ideal candidate but he is under contract with Real until July 2026 and there is no indication he would leave the European and Spanish champions.
Brazilian media have reported that Al Hilal’s Portuguese coach Jorge Jesus is the favourite to replace Dorival.
Brazil have been in unfamiliar territory for over two years since crashing out of the 2022 World Cup against Croatia on penalties in the quarter-finals, a heartbreaking elimination that led to the exit of long-time manager Tite.
Their humbling defeat in Buenos Aires was the latest of a series of negative records Brazil have set under caretakers Ramon Menezes and Fernando Diniz and with Dorival in charge. They had never conceded four goals in a World Cup qualifier.
Brazil are in the midst of their worst-ever World Cup qualifying campaign. They are fourth in the South American standings with 21 points, a point above sixth-placed Colombia who currently occupy the final direct qualifying berth.
Never have Brazil lost so many games, conceded so many goals or set so many negative records in the qualifying competition. They have lost five of their 14 games and conceded 16 goals.
Brazil’s 1-0 defeat by Argentina in the Maracana late in 2023 was their first-ever qualifying loss on home soil.
They also lost to Colombia for the first time, saw the end of their unbeaten run against Uruguay stretching back over two decades and were defeated by Morocco and Senegal, having never previously lost to an African nation.
-Reuters
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International Football
England’s German manager Tuchel will not sing the English anthem in his first game

England manager Thomas Tuchel said he would have to “earn the right” to sing the national anthem, God Save the King, after announcing his 26-man squad on Friday ahead of the team’s World Cup qualifiers.
Tuchel, who was appointed as Gareth Southgate’s successor in October and named his first squad to face Albania and Latvia this month, said he would not sing the anthem in his first games in charge.
“It means a lot to me, I can assure you, but I can feel that because it is so meaningful and it is so emotional and it is so powerful, the national anthem, that I have to earn my right to sing it,” the 51-year-old German told a news conference.
Former caretaker manager Lee Carsley was criticised last year for not singing the anthem during his tenure.
However, Tuchel added that while he is proud to be in charge of the team and knows the words to the anthem, he plans to earn the right with results.
“Maybe I have to dive more into the culture and earn my right from you, from the players, from the supporters, so everyone feels like ‘he should sing it now, he’s one of our own, he’s the English manager, he should sing it’,” he said.
-Reuters
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