Haiti Forced to Change World Cup Jersey After Fifa Rejects 'Political' Elements

Josue Casimir and the Haitian national team wore jerseys that included an image near the right hip inspired by the country's 19th century revolution in a friendly against Peru last week. Haiti was forced to look for a new jersey ahead of the 2026 World Cup after Fifa deemed some elements of the design too political. Concacaf qualifiers are scheduled to begin their group phase against Scotland on Saturday. In a statement responding to the decision, jersey manufacturer Saeta confirmed that it had worked closely with Fifa to ensure the design met requirements, even having "successfully implemented the requested modifications" during the mandatory review process. "In collaboration with the Haitian Football Federation," Saeta's statement elaborated, "our goal throughout the process was to create a jersey that celebrates the pride, resilience and spirit of the Haitian people. Several concepts were developed and refined over several months and submitted through Fifa's standard approval process. The final design submitted by Saeta was intended as a tribute to the men and women who contribute every day to Haiti's future and was not intended as a political statement." "During the review process, Fifa determined that some visual elements could be interpreted differently based on their equipment regulations and ultimately requested modifications to the design," the manufacturer's statement continued. "While this interpretation differed from our intentions, Saeta respected the process and implemented the final terms presented by Fifa. We remain proud to have contributed, together with the Haitian Football Federation, to this historic moment for Haitian football and wish the team all the best in the Fifa World Cup." The Haiti jersey comes in blue (home), white (away), and red (third) with a red collar and sleeves and the national team emblem in the middle of the shirt. The point of contention lies on the right hip of the jersey, which depicts a silhouette inspired by the Battle of Vertières and the Haitian revolution. In 1803, revolutionary leader Jean-Jacques Dessalines, who would later become the country's first emperor, tore the white ribbon from the French flag to create a new flag for "the world's first black republic." This moment is commemorated throughout the country every May 18 as Haitian Flag Day. The iconography appears on all three Haiti jerseys released by Saeta ahead of the tournament. All three versions are sold out on Saeta's website. The manufacturer does not appear to be preparing to release an alternative batch of jerseys. Fifa's online store offers only two Haiti-specific merchandise: trucker hats and scarves. Haiti has qualified for the Concacaf World Cup for the first time since 1974, and wore the now-banned jersey during pre-tournament friendlies against New Zealand and Peru last week. In photos from the official Fifa World Cup portrait session taken on Tuesday, players wore jerseys that did not feature the iconography. This is the second time this year that the Haitian team has had to change its uniform design in an international tournament. The International Olympic Committee also asked Haiti's skiwear to be redesigned at the last minute before the Winter Olympics in Milan, because designer Stella Jean's image (which also depicts a revolutionary) allegedly violated rules on athlete design and expression.