Shit Football Kits: Cameroon’s Indomitable Unitard, 2004

By Chris Wright

The mere fact that FIFA were made to dust off and enforce their ‘all shirts and shorts must be separate items of clothing’ rule for the first time ever when Cameroon took to the field in the 2004 African Nations wearing Indomitable Babygros should be evidence enough that Puma’s ill-fated onesie is crying out to be inducted into the ‘Shit Kits’ annals…

Despite the kit being cleared by the Nations Cup organisers, FIFA were not best pleased when Cameroon flaunted their warning and sported the strip during the group stages of the tournament, thus irking Sepp Blatter by directly contravening his ‘no separate shirt/shorts, no service’ rule…

FIFA banned Cameroon from wearing the kit in the knock-out stages, but Puma countered by claiming that they simply would not be able to produce a re-jigged kit within the space of a week – leading the Lions to throw caution to the wind and wear the strip again during their 2-1 quarter-final defeat against Nigeria…

Taken aback by the insolence on display, FIFA then deducted six points from Cameroon’s 2006 World Cup qualifying campaign and fined their Football Federation the princely sum of $154,000 dollars – a fine which Puma paid on the organisation’s behalf while bizarrely blaming rivals Adidas for influencing the decision due to the German brand’s close ties with football’s governing body.

The dispute rumbled on for months, with Puma adamant that no rules had been broken (except the one about red and green never being seen), until both parties agreed to settle out of court – with FIFA finally restoring the six points they had stripped from Cameroon’s qualifying tally.

It’s also worth bearing in mind that all this hoopla came just two years after Puma and Cameroon both got their knuckles wrapped for trying it on with a sleeveless number at the 2002 World Cup…

Was it worth it? Was it buggery!

More in our Shit Kits collection…

Scunthorpe Take Us To ‘Pleasure Island’, 1994

Bury’s Away Kits, 1993-98

Puma’s Africa Unity strip, 2010

Wolves’ Goodyear Tyre-Marks, 1992

Colorado Caribous’ Rodeo Fringe, 1978

Huddersfield’s Electric Tie-Dye, 1991/92

Cork City

Nott’m Forest Keeper Kits Of The Mid-1990s

Athletic Bilbao, 2004

Sheffield United’s Diamond Kit

Partizan Belgrade, Early 1990s

Hull City’s Tiger Stripes Disaster

Plymouth Argyle 1995/96

Luton Town Away 1994/95

Arsenal Away 1995/96