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With the South African flag on the front, the new Bafana Bafana home jersey was influenced by the nation's diversity.
BAFANA BAFANA have a new home jersey that they will wear during the 2010 FIFA World Cup™.
The new football jersey, launched by sponsors adidas at the Market Theatre in Newtown on Wednesday, 11 November, will be used for the first time during a friendly match between South Africa's national team and Japan in Port Elizabeth on Saturday, 14 November.
Trendy: the new Bafana Bafana jersey
"This new jersey will make Bafana Bafana stand out from the rest. This is a very special jersey," said adidas' public relations manager, Zobuzwe Ngobese.
The green and gold jersey comes in two varieties: the Techfit or tight-fit version, and the Formotion, which is made to fit naturally on the body. The design of the jersey, which incorporates 11 threads, was influenced by South Africa's diverse communities and languages.
"We also wanted to incorporate something that will symbolise the unity of South Africans and we chose the South African flag, which is prominent on the front of the jersey. The jersey defines who we are as South Africans," said Brian Kerby, the managing director of adidas.
Bafana Bafana captain Aaron Mokoena said the team were heavily involved in the design of the jersey.
"We had several options to choose from and we opted for this one. It's a beautiful jersey and I really like it, especially the Techfit one," he said.
So far, adidas has designed 15 Bafana jerseys since its partnership with the national team began in 1997. The sponsor unveils an away jersey each year and a home jersey every two years.
The new jersey was introduced in dramatic fashion by learners from the National School of Arts, who staged a play about Bafana Bafana on the Market Theate's Main Stage. The performance incorporated various South African dances like the gumboot and traditional Tswana dances.
After the official launch of the jersey, adidas also launched its Unite Mzansi campaign that aimed to "inspire South Africans to unite behind 2010", Ngobese said. The campaign involves a huge 60m by 48m Bafana Bafana jersey that will traverse the length and breadth of the country in a huge truck.
On the seven-month long tour, which started in Johannesburg at the launch, the giant jersey will go to all nine 2010 World Cup host cities and any towns and villages in between. All in all, the truck will make over 300 stops at malls, schools and taxi ranks, where people will be able to sign the giant jersey.
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