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Argentina seeks lucky charm: dark blue jerseys for England World Cup clash
🇸🇪 Sweden /Sports

Argentina seeks lucky charm: dark blue jerseys for England World Cup clash

From Dagens Nyheter · () Swedish

Translated from Swedish, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

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  • Argentina has officially requested to wear their dark blue away jerseys for the World Cup semifinal against England, citing superstition.
  • The team has a history of favorable results against England when wearing the dark blue kit, notably in the 1986 and 1998 World Cups.
  • FIFA has approved the request, which is largely a formality as England, as the home team, would likely have chosen their white jerseys anyway.

Argentina is leaving nothing to chance in their pursuit of a World Cup final spot. Beyond tactical preparations, the team has formally asked FIFA to play their semifinal match in their dark blue away kits instead of the traditional blue-and-white striped jerseys.

Pure superstition.

— Dagens NyheterThe article explains the reason behind Argentina's jersey request.

The superstition stems from past World Cup encounters against England. Diego Maradona wore the dark blue during the infamous "Hand of God" goal in the 1986 semifinal, and Argentina also wore the dark blue when they defeated England on penalties in the 1998 round of 16.

FIFA has granted Argentina's request. While England, as the designated home team, would likely have selected their white kits, the Argentine Football Association (AFA) wanted to eliminate any uncertainty. The dark blue jerseys themselves have a unique origin, not being part of the original 1986 World Cup kit. Players found their standard kits too hot and heavy in Mexico's heat. In a rush, the team purchased thinner Le Coq Sportif jerseys from a Mexico City sports store. Diego Maradona himself is said to have chosen the dark blue color, with emblems hand-sewn and numbers ironed on just hours before their quarterfinal win against England.

Dark blue has worked well against England in previous World Cup encounters.

— Dagens NyheterThe article highlights the historical success associated with the dark blue kit.

Although Argentina wore their traditional light blue and white for the final in 1986, winning the championship, and again in their 2022 Qatar victory, the team is now hoping that a 40-year-old superstition holds true as they face England once more.

The Argentine Football Association did not want to risk anything by taking a chance.

— Dagens NyheterThe article explains the AFA's motivation for formally requesting the jersey change.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by Dagens Nyheter in Swedish. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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