Kit
manufacturer Puma said it had traced a problem with ripped shirts for the Swiss
team at Euro 2016 to a defective batch of material used only in a limited
number of home jerseys for the team. During
Sunday's goalless draw against France, the shirts of at least four Swiss
players were torn when pulled by opponents, forcing members of the team to swap
tops three times in the first half.
Germany-based
Puma said analysis of the jerseys showed there was one batch of material where
yarns had been damaged during production, making the garment weaker.
'Puma has
checked the inventory of all jerseys of all Puma teams and can assure that such
an unfortunate incident does not happen again,' it said in a statement on its
website.
Following
the France game rival manufacturer, Adidas, who provides kit to nine of the 24
teams competing in France said suppliers usually provide three shirts per
player, per game.
'The
standard usage for these shirts will be a player wears one in the first half,
another in the second half with a third being saved as a spare, should it be
needed on the pitch, or utilised as a giveaway item,' spokesperson Katja
Schreiber said in an email.
'Every shirt
worn during the tournament will carry unique match day customisation, hence the
need to provide shirts on a match-by-match basis.'
Asked if it
was possible for a player to run out of shirts during a game, Schreiber
referred back to football's European governing body.
'This is a
process that is put in place by UEFA ... although federations have a standard
approach to utilising these jerseys, they can be used in any way required
during the course of 90 minutes,' she said.
Swiss
goalkeeper Yann Sommer, who finished the game with his shirt intact after a
man-of-the-match performance against the French, said he saw no reason to
change kit supplier, despite the odd rip.
'It can
happen,' he told reporters. 'It means it was a fight on the pitch... Of course,
today we had a lot, I can't say we have to change because Puma is great.'
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