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POLL: BBC RANKS SUPER EAGLES’ 2018 ATTIRE AMONG WORLD ALL-TIME ICONIC FOOTBALL SHIRTS

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Nigeria Super Eagles’ home shirt for the 2018 World Cup in Russia is still receiving global attention as BBC has shortlisted it among the 20 all-time iconic football shirts.

Voting opened on Wednesday for visitors to the BBC sports website to choose the best of the 20 shirts.

Among the shortlisted are those for 12 national teams with England listed thrice – the 1966 red strip, the 1990 attire and the England’s 2019 women’s strip.

Only Nigeria’s 2018 shirt and the 2002 sleeveless attire of Cameroon are the African jerseys that made the list. However, FIFA later outlawed the Cameroonian attire, claiming it was mere vest and failed the equipment regulations of football.

Cameroon hastily sewed black sleeves to the vests before they were allowed to be worn at the World Cup.

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BBC embarked on the survey to coincide with the time of the year that clubs start preparing to reveal their kit designs for next season.

The shortlists are:

England 1966

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We start with the long-sleeved red Umbro shirt in which England beat West Germany 4-2 to win the World Cup in 1966. Sir Alf Ramsey’s side only wore red at Wembley that day because the Germans won the toss to wear white. It’s still a shirt loved by Three Lions fans and worn regularly more than 50 years later.

Celtic 1967

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This famous shirt was worn by Celtic’s ‘Lisbon Lions’ when they wrote their name into the history books with a 2-1 win over Inter Milan in Portugal to become the first British team to win the European Cup.

Brazil 1970

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Very similar to most other Brazil kits, but this one is a retro classic. Worn by the great 1970 World Cup-winning side and the last shirt Pele sported before retiring from international duty.

Chelsea 1970

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To avoid a clash with Leeds in the 1970 FA Cup final, Chelsea swapped their usual white socks, shirt piping and club badge to yellow. They went on to win 2-1, lifting the famous trophy for the first time in the club’s history. To celebrate the 50-year anniversary, the Blues wore a one-off modernised commemorative replica kit for their third-round home tie with Nottingham Forest in 2020.

Ajax 1971

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Simple but an absolute beauty. It was in this kit that Ajax beat Panathinaikos 2-0 at Wembley as they won the first of three consecutive European Cup finals.

Mexico 1978

One for the history books. After missing the 1974 World Cup, Mexico arrived at Argentina 1978 in style. Their kits were designed and made by American denim giants Levi’s.

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Boca Juniors 1981

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This shirt screams Diego Maradona. It was the first shirt to feature Boca’s four-star crest alongside their famous blue and gold colours. Adidas pulled it out of the bag with this one by producing a shirt that is still sought after almost four decades later.

Belgium 1984

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Although the 1984 European Championships were forgettable for the Belgians, who didn’t make it out of the group, this shirt lives long in the memory. The national team brought back the diamond design to inspire their 2018 World Cup kit.

Liverpool 1984

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Liverpool wore a near-identical home shirt from 1983-1985, but this sponsorless edition worn for the 1984 European Cup final in Rome stands out. Joe Fagan’s side beat Roma on penalties that night, and the famous shirt was used to inspire the Reds’ 2019-20 kit.

Denmark 1986

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Denmark made their World Cup debut in style. Much like the shirt’s split panels, the design divided opinion back in the day. But it was the first of its kind – Coventry and Southampton were among the clubs who later wore similar designs.

Netherlands 1988

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One of the most sought-after shirts of all time. It’s safe to say the Netherlands looked the part as they won the European Championship for the first time.

Colombia 1990

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Colombia always have great kits and they arrived at the 1990 World Cup after a 28-year hiatus from the competition with this absolute belter. The iconic design was used to inspire Los Cafeteros’ shirt for the 2018 World Cup in Russia.

England 1990

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Bobby Robson’s side reached the semi-finals at Italia 90 in the World Cup that had it all. From Paul Gascoigne’s tears in Turin and THAT Chris Waddle penalty miss, to Gary Lineker’s vital goals, there are so many memories attached to this England shirt.

Man Utd 1990

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Man Utd have had some great shirts over the years but this one is truly unique. The Aztec-style graphic on the away shirt was a fans’ favourite and remains popular today.

West Germany 1990

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The shirt worn by the Germans as they beat Argentina to win the 1990 World Cup. The slick design has become a retro classic and is still as popular today as it was 30 years ago.

Arsenal 1991

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Arsenal’s ‘bruised banana’ has to be one of the most legendary top-flight kits of the 1990s – if not ever. So popular, the Gunners used it as inspiration for their 2019-20 away shirt.

Barcelona 1997

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It’s hard to find a bad Barca shirt from over the years but this away kit is a gem, and synonymous with Ronaldo, as this was the only season he spent with the Catalan giants. Worn in the 1997 Cup Winners’ Cup final where the Brazilian’s penalty was enough to beat Paris St-Germain in Rotterdam.

Cameroon 2002

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One-of-a-kind, but Cameroon’s controversial sleeveless shirt didn’t go down well with everyone. It was banned by Fifa for the 2002 World Cup in Japan because ‘they’re not shirts… they’re vests’.

Nigeria 2018

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Nigeria took the world by storm with this release for the 2018 World Cup. Fans queued for hours outside Nike’s flagship store in London to get their hands on one, and with three million pre-orders of the replica shirts, they sold out almost immediately after they were released.

England women 2019

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There was a lot of hype around this release before the 2019 Women’s World Cup. It was the first time the Lionesses had their own exclusive kit, and the rose detail on the crimson shirts made it truly unique.

Kunle Solaja is the author of landmark books on sports and journalism as well as being a multiple award-winning journalist and editor of long standing. He is easily Nigeria’s foremost soccer diarist and Africa's most capped FIFA World Cup journalist, having attended all FIFA World Cup finals from Italia ’90 to Qatar 2022. He was honoured at the Qatar 2022 World Cup by FIFA and AIPS.

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New global players’ union launched in Madrid amid rift with FIFPRO

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David Aganzo, general secretary of the Spanish Footballers' Association (AFE) during a press conference announcing the official launch of the Spanish Footballers' Association (AFE) in Madrid, Spain, April 23, 2026. REUTERS/Isabel Infantes

Representatives from four national players’ unions on Thursday launched a new global organisation in Madrid, which they say will strengthen footballers’ rights and improve dialogue with governing bodies.

Opening ​a new front in the battle over who speaks for players, the International ‌Footballers’ Association (AIF) was unveiled, with David Aganzo, president of Spain’s Association of Footballers (AFE) and a former head of the global union FIFPRO, appointed to lead the organisation.

Players’ unions from Brazil, Mexico and Switzerland were also represented.

The initiative ​drew a swift rebuke from FIFPRO, which said in a statement that Aganzo was ​acting out of self-interest and aligning himself with organisations linked to football governing ⁠bodies, as well as groups expelled from FIFPRO over alleged mismanagement.

Aganzo rejected the criticism, saying ​he “will not seek confrontation with FIFPRO”.

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The launch comes amid strained relations between players’ unions and football authorities, ​particularly over the expanding international match calendar.

Relations between FIFA and FIFPRO deteriorated in 2024 after the union lodged a complaint with the European Commission, arguing that the global governing body was abusing its dominant position by adding ​competitions without sufficient consultation.

Aganzo denied suggestions that the new initiative was backed by FIFA president Gianni ​Infantino, but said “direct dialogue with FIFA” was essential.

AFE’s Extraordinary General Assembly approved the initiative in February with 99.8% of ‌votes ⁠cast in favour of spearheading the creation of the AIF.

The same assembly also backed AFE’s withdrawal from FIFPRO, citing what it described as a “complete lack of transparency, as well as its total lack of dialogue with international bodies.”

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“We represent over 30,000 footballers, and we come here with a ​new model aimed at safeguarding ​players’ rights and ⁠facilitating direct communication with all international bodies,” Aganzo told reporters.

“We are in contact with 15 to 20 unions already who were very aware of ​this moment and waiting for this announcement to make their move and ​join our ⁠initiative.”

He declined to identify any unions beyond those present.

Asked about a report that a senior envoy to U.S. President Donald Trump had urged FIFA to replace Iran with Italy at the upcoming World Cup, Aganzo ⁠urged caution.

“These ​are more political issues; on April 30th, I’ll be ​speaking to Gianni (Infantino) at the FIFA Congress, and we will discuss those things,” Aganzo said.

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“People who want to go to ​the World Cup have to earn their place on sporting merit.”

-Reuters

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New trial over soccer legend Maradona’s death begins in Argentina

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Serie A - Parma v Napoli - Stadio Ennio Tardini, Parma, Italy - April 12, 2026 Napoli fans in the stands hold up a sign of Diego Maradona in the stands before the match REUTERS/Daniele Mascolo

A new trial over the death of Argentine soccer legend Diego Maradona will begin on Tuesday, with seven members of his medical team ​charged with negligent homicide nearly a year after a previous case collapsed in ‌a mistrial.

An enduring presence in Argentina – from towering murals to tattoos, opens new tab – Maradona died on November 25, 2020, at 60, after a heart attack while he was recuperating from brain surgery to remove a blood clot.

A court in ​San Isidro, near Buenos Aires, will hear testimony from just under 100 witnesses ​as it tries Maradona’s medical team over alleged negligence in the death ⁠of the 1986 World Cup champion.

His medical team has denied wrongdoing. The defendants are ​psychiatrist Agustina Cosachov, neurosurgeon Leopoldo Luque, psychologist Carlos Angel Diaz, physician Nancy Edith Forlini, nurse ​Ricardo Almiron, head nurse Mariano Ariel Perroni, and physician Pedro Pablo Di Spagna. An eighth defendant, nurse Dahiana Madrid, will be tried in a separate jury trial, with no date yet set.

Two months into ​the first trial, which started last March, a mistrial was declared when one of three ​judges, Julieta Makintach, resigned after video surfaced showing her being interviewed by a camera crew in the ‌corridors ⁠of the courthouse and in her office as part of a documentary, in breach of judicial rules.

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The retrial will require both prosecutors and defense lawyers to reassess their strategies after the first trial aired photographs, videos, audio recordings and forensic evidence. Many witnesses, including Maradona’s ​children and his former ​wife, Claudia Villafane, ⁠have already testified.

Prosecutors argued in the initial trial that medical professionals broke treatment protocols and that the home where Maradona was recovering ​from surgery amounted to a “theatre of horror,” where necessary care was ​not provided.

The ⁠defense countered that his death was inevitable given his longstanding health problems. Maradona struggled for decades with cocaine and alcohol addiction.

The negligence charges emerged in 2021 after prosecutors appointed a medical board ⁠to ​investigate Maradona’s death. The panel concluded his medical team ​acted in an “inappropriate, deficient and reckless” manner.

-Reuters

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Senegal’s Cisse named Angola coach 24 hours after leaving Libya role

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Aliou Cisse has been named coach of ​the Angola national ‌team, the country’s football federation (FAF) announced on Thursday, 24 ​hours after the ​Senegalese left his post in ⁠Libya.

The 50-year-old coach, ​who led Senegal to ​their maiden Africa Cup of Nations title in 2022, ended ​his short stint ​with the Libyan national team on ‌Wednesday, ⁠after taking charge in March 2025.

“Welcome, Aliou Cisse, head coach of ​the Angola national ​team,” ⁠the FAF said on Facebook. Angola, which ​failed to reach ​this ⁠year’s World Cup, will start their 2027 AFCON ⁠qualifying ​campaign in ​September.

-Reuters

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