World Cup 2010 Jerseys: South Africa

March 9th, 2010 | by: Daryl | View Comments

Almost all the team jerseys for World Cup 2010 have now been revealed, and are available to buy from our World Cup 2010 jersey store. Based on what we’ve seen so far, I’m reasonably impressed. There aren’t nearly as many templated designs as expected, and the retro look seems to be very much in.

So starting today we’re going to cast a close critical eye at each nation’s World Cup 2010 home and away shirts and other attire. We’ll do so honestly and semi-respectfully and without any of the technical guff about moisture wicking. Whatever that is. We’ll go group by group, and so first up is your World Cup host South Africa, from Group A.

South Africa Home Shirt

My initial reaction was that this adidas South Africa home shirt is a little plain. It seems to be just your basic yellow adidas shirt with a bit of green trim. But the closer I look, the more I like.

First of all, the South Africa Football Association logo on the right hand side is one of the better designed logos out there. It features two spheres: One a retro looking soccer ball and the other featuring what I believe is the outline of South Africa’s borders. It’s got a nice ’70s feel to it.

Second, the body of the shirt, though a simple yellow, features that “Y” shape that goes from shoulders to sternum and then down. This is the outline of the South African flag, which itself is a symbol of the new South Africa having only been adopted in 1994. According to adidas the intent was to unite the 11 tribes and 11 languages that make up South Africa, by integrating the flag into the body of the shirt. Just to make sure, the shirt also features the actual South Africa flag on the back of the neck.

Similarly, the pattern around the collar is more than just a few squiggles, as it’s apparently inspired by artisans from each of the 11 South Africa tribes. I have neither the time nor the research skills to verify that claim, but definitely like the idea and like the way the pattern adds a needed touch of flair to the shirt.

- Want one? Find your South Africa home shirt in the World Cup Blog Store.

South Africa Away Shirt

The away shirt is basically the same deal as the home shirt, but with the yellow and green colours reversed. I’ve got mixed feeling about this. Is it lazy to simply flip colours from home to away? Or does it bring unity to the design of the two shirts? Either way I’d argue that the home shirt is superior, mostly because the design elements mentioned above (flag outline, collar pattern) seem to work better with yellow than green, possibly because they were designed with the home shirt in mind.

- Prefer the away shirt? Find your South Africa away jersey in the World Cup Blog store.

Last but not least, here’s the full home kit/uniform, as modelled by Bafana Bafana midfielder Steven Pienaar:

You’ll notice that the jersey Pienaar is wearing features a Protea flower crest over the heart. This doesn’t appear to be present on the standard replica jersey, but will be worn by the players at World Cup 2010 and is featured on the limited edition Techfit version of the South Africa jersey.

What do you think of the Bafana Bafana jerseys for World Cup 2010?