With German football back in full swing, the time is right to break our short hiatus with a late call for Kit of the Week.
With no games to watch or goals to cheer, and with a renewed sense of perspective on life; posting stories about football kits has seemed a little churlish.
So the return of Germany’s Bundesliga to our screens has been a welcome relief, even if each game played in those sterilised stadiums sounds as if they’re being played in a swimming pool.
This weekend saw league-leaders Arminia Bielefeld make the journey north to face promotion rivals Hamburg in Germany’s 2nd division.
Arminia Bielefeld’s black and blue chevron shirts by Joma certainly caught the eye as the resulting goalless draw cemented their claims to the Bundesliga 2 crown.
From Inter Milan to Croatia’s 2018 away shirts, black and blue can be a winning combination, but it is a colour scheme that takes a degree of skill to properly pull off.
From a distance, those distinctive chevrons gave the impression of hoops separated by thin white lines, but invention lies within those arrows, pointing to something a little more rebellious.
Arminia Bielefeld take their name from the Roman-schooled, Germanic chieftain, Arminius, who handed his military mentors their biggest ever defeat back in 9 AD.
When a coalition of tribes under his command ambushed and defeated three legions of supposedly superior soldiers in a forest near modern-day Osnabrück, the shock of those guerrilla tactics led to what many believe was the beginning of the end of the Roman Empire.
Fast forward more than 2000 years and against all odds and pundits’ pre-season predictions, Arminia finished the game 7 points clear of 2nd placed Hamburg, and should be playing top-flight football whenever next season should begin.
Away from Bundesliga 2, we should be at the point of the season where the football shirts we’ve loved this season have glorious moments attached to them but all of that can wait for now.
Some things are just more important than football.
Stay safe and well. X
Sartorial Soccer 