World Cup 2010 Blog: “World Cup 2010 Jerseys: France” plus 1 more |  |
| World Cup 2010 Jerseys: France Posted: 10 Mar 2010 01:39 PM PST
All World Cup 2010 jerseys are available to see and buy in our World Cup 2010 store, but the idea here is that we take an honest and semi-critical look at the home and away shirts of all 32 teams at World Cup 2010. Remember, everything below is just personal opinion / kneejerk reaction and I’ve got no fashion credentials other than accidentally seeing about four episodes of Project Runway. So whether you agree of disagree I’d love to get your reaction to these shirts in the comments.
France Home Shirt
The royal blue colour of the France jersey always looks good in my opinion, but it’s the red and white around the mid-section that I’m not fond of here. I know it’s meant to represent the blue, white and red of the French flag, but the pattern just seems a bit… random. Unfinished even, like the two sections were meant to meet in the middle but didn’t quite make it. If I was feeling cheeky the I’d suggest an alternative pattern. Like maybe Thierry Henry’s handprints. But I’m not, so I won’t. A much more successful attempt to incorporate the tricolore can be found if you look a little higher up. All adidas jerseys carry three stripes on the shoulders, and this one is no exception. But there’s a band of red running between the second and third stripe, producing a subtle but clear pattern of blue, then white, then red on the shoulder. I love seeing examples of team specific design within the standard template, and the shoulders of the French home jersey are a perfect example. France Away Shirt
The white away jersey allows the three striped tricolore on the shoulders to stand out even more. Definitely a good thing. Meanwhile the thin grey vertical stripes on the body prevent the white from being too white and making you go blind. I quite like the collar too, with a nice mix of blue and gold. It’s somewhat rare for the away shirt to trump the home shirt, but I’m pretty sure that’s what’s happened here. Hopefully France will wear the away shirts vs Uruguay in Group A, and then find themselves facing another blue team in the knockout rounds. What do you think of France’s home and away shirts for World Cup 2010?
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| World Cup Moments: David Beckham’s Red Card vs Argentina in 1998 Posted: 10 Mar 2010 09:24 AM PST
After being fouled by Argentina midfielder Digeo Simeone (who’s still playing today at the age of 39, by the way) Beckham lashed out while lying on the floor, giving Simeone a not very cleverly disguised kick to the calf. The result was a red card for Beckham and England playing the rest of the game with ten men, eventually losing the penalty shootout. Simeone later admitted he had over-reacted, and certainly the kick looks almost gentle with 12 years hindsight. But it was still a stupid thing to do and referee Kim Milton Nielsen had no choice but to get out his red card. Here’s the video of David Beckham’s sending off vs Argentina in 1998: Then came the Beckham backlash. I think it’s fair to say that the English media (and to some extent the English public) went a bit mental, and made Beckham the scapegoat for England’s World Cup exit. The Mirror’s headline the following day was “10 Heroic Lions, One Stupid Boy”. The tabloid also went on to publish a David Beckham dartboard for fans to “take their fury out on”. (Said dartboard is – unsurprisingly – impossible to find on the internet today, although the article has been archived by various media archive organizations.) The Mirror weren’t alone, as pretty much all newspapers took their frustrations out on Beckham. An effigy of Man Utd’s #7 was hanged outside a pub in London, and Beckham faced boos around Premier League grounds the following season. The incredible thing is that Beckham managed to overturn his gargantuan unpopularity and win back public support with excellent performances for both Man Utd and England. In 1999 he was a key part of Man Utd’s Champions League success, by 2000 he was England captain and in 2001 he had that career defining game vs Greece where he almost single handedly qualified England for World Cup 2002. I’d argue that Beckham’s trial by fire that was being Public Enemy #1 in 1998 forced Beckham to mature as a player and as a man and it’s probably not too much of a stretch to say it’s a big part of what makes Beckham the mega-celebrity he is today.
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Today we’re taking a look at the home and away jerseys of France, as modelled by Karim Benzema to the left there.
Because today is David Beckham’s much talked about | You are subscribed to email updates from World Cup Soccer - South Africa 2010 To stop receiving these emails, you may unsubscribe now. | Email delivery powered by Google |
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If you remember the 1998 World Cup in France, then you remember Dennis Bergkamp’s goal for the Netherlands in the quarterfinal vs Argentina. The score was 1-1 in the 89th minute, and extra time looked almost certain. Until Bergkamp produced his moment of magic.
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