Nike released a video featuring Erling Haaland last Thursday, showing the new national team kits earlier than planned. The Norwegian Football Association was scheduled to present the kits today, but the leak came unexpectedly and sparked immediate debate. Reactions to the kits were mixed, with some praising the traditional and stylish home kit and others finding it disappointing, while the black away kit received both criticism and praise.
The home kit features a pattern hidden within the blue stripes on the chest, inspired by the ornamentation of Urnes Stave Church in Luster. Urnes Stave Church, built in the 1130s and a UNESCO World Heritage site since 1979, is Norway's first World Heritage inscription. The ornamentation from Urnes Stave Church has been used on passports, coins, and banknotes in Norway.
Everything is more expensive nowadays. Clothes are generally more expensive, and unfortunately that's also the case with football shirts.
The Fortidsminneforeningen, which owns Urnes Stave Church, was not involved in the design process and was surprised by the use of the ornamentation. NTP Avery Dennison in Gaupne, near Urnes Stave Church, produces the prints for the kits. The official price of the Norway national team kits for the World Cup has caused controversy, with a fan shirt costing 1,249 Norwegian kroner (about 110 euros) and an authentic player version costing 1,849 Norwegian kroner (about 163 euros).
Adding Erling Haaland's name to the shirt can increase the price to over 2,100 Norwegian kroner (about 185 euros). Norwegian MP Mimir Kristjansson criticized the kit prices as unreasonable and a scam, arguing it creates division among fans. NFF's commercial director Jan Ove Nystuen acknowledged the reactions to the prices but noted they follow general price increases and are set by Nike.
Love it
Sports retailer Unisport has sold over 220,000 World Cup kits, according to Nettavisen. Flag expert Jan Oskar Engene believes the design of the Norway kit will spark reactions because the proportions of the cross and stripes on the flag are incorrect, making it not look like a proper Norwegian flag. The away kit for the tournament is all black.
Erling Haaland reacted positively to the away kit, with Jan Ove Nystuen saying he expressed approval.