A window to the past: the new national jerseys refer to historical achievements. I am very happy that we do not forget, says Šilhavý

The graceful figure of football representative Aneta Pochmanova and the muscular body of her colleague Matěj Vydra from the men’s A-team presented the new jerseys in which the football artists will defend the honour of the Czech homeland. The intention was – successfully – to commemorate the most glorious chapters of history with the proposed design.

In the next two years, the Czech national team will appear in home matches with a much larger lion emblem on their chests than in previous years. The PUMA designers chose this element and the colour scheme itself as a reference to the jerseys from 1934, 1976 and 1996, years of great success.

“The red version of the jersey is a classic that is inseparable from the Czech national team. The big lion on the chest reminded me of the time when Antonín Panenka played for the national team. I am very pleased that we do not forget our history,” commented coach Jaroslav Šilhavý.

The effort to recall the successful history is obvious and commendable. Antonín Panenka wore the red jersey with the state emblem on his chest (at that time a federal one, when the Czech lion had the Tatra shields on his chest and the communist star above his head) when he outwitted the German goalkeeper Sepp Maier in the penalty shootout in 1976 and won the European championship.

The silver boys from the 1934 World Championship in Italy ran out in the final in Rome against the home team also wearing red shirts, but the standing emblem warmed their hearts on the left side.

Actually, the graphic design was the same as the jersey of the Czech team at the 1934 World Cup in England, but the national emblem was divided into four parts with the Moravian and Silesian eagles.

Let’s just recall that during the Czechoslovak team’s debut at the 1920 Olympics in Antwerp against Yugoslavia (7::0), coach Johnny Madden’s charges wore a longitudinally striped red and white jersey without the national emblem.

“On the other hand, we also want to look to the future, which is symbolized by the white jersey for away games,” said coach Šilhavý. This variant refers to the 1962 final in Chile against Brazil, where Czechoslovakia won the second world silver in history.

The modern concept, however, offers bolder design elements, the most striking being the large outline of the national team’s emblem on the chest, which frames the number, and the blue shorts.

“Both sets of jerseys don’t just bring a new design, they also use the latest PUMA materials and technology. These not only make them lighter, but also provide more comfort for the players.

It is alsoworth mentioning that the new jerseys are made from 100 percent recycled materials, which is PUMA’s contribution to a better future,” said Miloslav Ptáček, PUMA’s Team Sport Manager for the Czech Republic and Slovakia.

There is only one thing left – to deliver another valuable artifact to the Hall of Fame in them.

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