There are many things in life that we all usually have a common hatred on. Spiders, people who constantly cough in the cinema, screaming children on a bus, screaming children on a plane, screaming children, people who stab at the butter, politicians, mouth ulcers, the list goes on.
But when it comes to football one of the major hatreds is that of football kits, and believe me there have been some real clangers.
So here at Tibs News, we’ve conjured up a top ten worst European kits of the decade. Make sure that sick bag is near you because you’re going to need it…
*Click on the team names to see the kits*
10) SC Heerenveen home kit 2012/13
At first glance the Dutch Eredivisie side’s kit doesn’t look to bad with a nice mix of blue and white stripes. But wait, what are those red blobs? Yes, they appear to be badly designed love hearts (or a slanted Pacman) that symbolise a historic event in the Dutch community many years ago. How sweet.
9) Tottenham Hotspur third kit 2012/13
Not the best looking kit Spurs have ever had. In fact the first time the London club wore it in a Premier League match Sky Sports pundit Gary Neville couldn’t help but mention how bad it looked at half time. I wonder what made the designer think “Hmm we need a nice, bright, exciting colour that will clash with that black. Ah yes, grey.”
8) FC Barcelona away kit 2012/13
You’re arguably the best team in the world with the best set of players in the world, yet you decide to dress them in a mix of yellow and orange? Did the machines run out of orange dye and leave the job half done? Maybe there was a power-cut? What ever happened, it’s not a great look.
7) Everton away kit 2010/11
You certainly wouldn’t miss Everton on a rainy away day. Looking like a bunch of Quality Streets running around the pitch, this snazzy, bright kit would even make Bagpuss produce a hairball.
6) Newcastle United away kit 2009/10
Newcastle were certainly wearing the ‘new year, new me’ slogan with their hideous yellow-striped away kit on their return to the Championship almost four years ago. At the same time as the unveillance of the shirt, 100 deckchair covers were reported missing from a nearby beach.
5) Olympique de Marseille third kit 2011/12
The French giants didn’t wear it on many occasions (thank god), but their orange with a hint of blue, black and a handful of other colours thrown in third kit comes mid-table in our list. Loving the idea of the massive barcode printed in the middle of the shirt too. Where do they get these ideas from?
4) Getafe’s three kits 2009/10
These trio of kits were an absolute gem. Not only did they have a huge fast food restaurant logo slapped in the middle of their shirt, but on the reversible side there was a photo of Mr Burger King himself which players could lift above their heads when they score. Mine’s a Whopper with a side order of fries.
3) Chelsea away kit 2007/8
This is a little embarrassing being a Chelsea fan myself. The luminous yellow kit of five years ago was certainly not one of our stylish designs and resembled the jackets you see worn by men with their backsides hanging out on a construction site. Possibly seen worn by men at an airport too (along with the backside bit depending on what city you’re in).
2) Athletic Bilbao centenary home kit 2004
We’ve reached the top two and I challenge you to find two worse kits than these. Created by Basque designer Dario Urzay, the red on this bad boy was supposed to represent blood spats but instead looked like a group of pre-school children had been let loose with tomato ketchup.
1) Recreativo de Huelva away kit 2012/13
If you haven’t reached for your sick bag yet you’d better get it. Yes folks we’ve reached our number one worst European kit post 2000 and congratulations to Spanish side Recreativo, you are our winners! Looking like something created for Pudsey Bear and based on the famous game ‘Twister’, the spotted red and white kit looks suspiciously like something your Nan would buy you for Christmas but in jumper form. Even the woman in the photograph can’t pull off a clanger like that.
So the next time you’re out shopping for that beloved football shirt, spare a thought for the Recreativo players who this year are stuck with the honeycomb disaster that is their away shirt.
Aaron Aquilina
@AaronAquilina25
This photograph is provided by: cadab
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