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FOOTBALL

‘I hope Puma don’t make condoms’: Shaqiri

Switzerland's Xherdan Shaqiri says he hoped the country's shirt manufacturer Puma "doesn't make condoms" after several Swiss players ended their Euro 2016 match with France with shredded jerseys.

'I hope Puma don't make condoms': Shaqiri
Puma makes the Swiss shirts. Photo: AFP

Four Swiss players – Admir Mehmedi, Breel Embolo, Blerim Dzemaili and Granit Xhaka – had to change their shirts in the first half of the goalless draw in Lille on Sunday.

Recent Arsenal recruit Xhaka had to change his shirt again in the second half.

“I hope Puma doesn't make condoms,” Shaqiri told Switzerland's SRF broadcaster.

Former England striker Gary Lineker took the opportunity to poke fun on Twitter, writing: “Swiss team's Puma shirts tearing like paper. Adidas ball bursting. You can never rely on German efficiency!”

Other Twitter users compared the shirts to Swiss cheese – full of holes.

 

German manufacturer Puma apologized.

“Our five Puma teams have played 10 games at Euro 2016 before this without experiencing this problem,” the company said.

It later  blamed a manufacturing flaw. Its investigation had found that “there was a faulty batch of material in which the yarn was damaged during production”, the company said in a statement.

The Swiss shirts will be needed for at least one more match as the team has qualified for the second round.

Puma's German rival Adidas said Monday it had agreed a four-year deal to remain kit supplier to Germany until 2022 worth more than 50 million euros ($56.5 million) a year.

The agreement with the world champions came in the face of competition from US giant Nike for the prestigious contract.

 

 

 

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RACISM

VIDEO: Spain’s La Liga reviews video of boy racially abusing Vinicius

Spain's La Liga on Monday said it was reviewing a video of a child making racist insults towards Real Madrid forward Vinicius Junior during the 2-2 draw with Valencia at the weekend.

VIDEO: Spain's La Liga reviews video of boy racially abusing Vinicius

“We’re in the process of studying and analysing the facts from a legal standpoint to see what we can and should do,” La Liga sources said.

In a video published by a journalist for ESPN Brasil, and picked up by Spanish media, a boy sitting in a woman’s lap can be heard calling Vinicius a “monkey”.

https://twitter.com/GravesenFumado/status/1764242481984491822

The Brazilian scored twice for Madrid as his team recovered from two goals down at Mestalla on Saturday.

Vinicius raised his fist in a “Black Power” salute after the first of his two goals at a ground where he was racially abused last season. Valencia subsequently banned three people from the stadium for life.

The 23-year-old has become a symbol of the fight against discrimination in Spanish football after suffering racist abuse on many occasions, and he was jeered repeatedly by home supporters on Saturday.

Jude Bellingham was sent off after the final whistle against Valencia for protesting after the referee blew the final whistle right before the England midfielder headed home what he thought was the winning goal.

READ ALSO: Football star Vinicius highlights racist behaviour from Spanish fans

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