To quote one of the replies to the kit launch video on Twitter, “expectations were always at an all-time low, but this? WTF”.

Yesterday, SAFA and Le Coq Sportif announced the launch of the new Bafana Bafana jersey, which will be worn for the first time against Namibia on Thursday.

I don’t really have a problem with the design of the jersey, although many others do (“ugliest kit ever seen” and “what an ugly kit” were also among the replies), but it’s the video that seems to really push people’s buttons.

SAFA, which governs football in this country, is a joke, and has been run into the ground by Danny Jordaan and his cronies.

Even with that in mind, it beggars belief that when announcing the new jersey of one of our national teams, for the most popular sport in the country, the launch video resembles something some high schoolers would throw together at the last minute.

Yet, when I skimmed through reports on the launch yesterday – here and here, for example – no mention was made of this fact.

Observe:

It is finally here, the moment you have all been waiting for.

SAFA and le coq sportif are pleased to present the new Bafana Bafana jersey for the 2021 season.

Visit our online store to be one of the first to pre-order your very own jersey. ⚽@JackDevero#soccer pic.twitter.com/vrH0r3JEuy

— lecoqsportif za (@LeCoqSportif_SA) October 5, 2020

I reckon they knew they were scraping the barrel, so they threw in some 1996 African Cup of Nations clips in an attempt to distract from a total lack of production quality.

Added bonus – that’s a hockey pitch, in case you weren’t paying attention.

The replies to that tweet are a mess, and then there are the quote tweets. Here are a few that stand out:

Surely we are being trolled. What on earth is this?

I just really wanna know the budget for this kit launch. I refuse to believe our national soccer team only had R1000 and 2 days bc that’s what this looks like.

This the worst shit I’ve seen in years.

If Man United’s transfer policy was a kit launch.

The Hawks must look into this.

How are we gonna qualify for world cups and Afcon’s when we’re doing things like this?

Bottom of the f*cking barrel!

Trust me, those aren’t even the worst of the bunch.

There was a hint that all is maybe not well with EWN’s headline – ‘Yay or Nay? Bafana unveil new Le Coq Sportif kit’ – but then it was back to playing it down the line:

The Bafana Bafana kit is manufactured locally and according to its makers, it offers excellent fit, resistance to abrasion and is durable, lightweight, and breathable…

“We are delighted to have entered into a long-term partnership with SAFA as the new technical sponsor for the national teams. We have made no exception with regards to the quality and standard of the new kit as we take pride in the men and women who represent the country on the field,” said Roger Noades, Le Coq Sportif Sales Director.

Just a pity that the same pride wasn’t put into the video.

Soccer Laduma did run an article earlier featuring some less than impressed reactions to the video, so there’s that.

Ultimately, it will all be forgotten about in the days that follow, and how the team performs whilst wearing the jersey is the most important thing.

We live in hope.

[source:ewn]