How an banned Italian away shirt became the most controversial kit in football history

One of the most controversial shirts in the history of football ended up being banned after fans discovered that a symbol synonymous with the Nazi Party had been ‘accidentally’ embedded in the kit.

Ahead of the 1992/93 Serie A season, Italian side Fiorentina unveiled their new away shirt to the world.

The design was in partnership with the team’s kit maker at the time, Lotto.

On the surface, the striking 7up-sponsored shirt seemed harmless. It featured the classic club crest, a plain base, and an eye-catching purple print.

However, after allegedly only playing four games in the away jersey, players were eventually banned from wearing it.

According to The Guardian, it took La Viola fans until the December of the 1992/93 season to discover that a supposed Swastika had been embedded within the design.

While many believed that the logo had potentially been included on purpose, the Italian club released a statement claiming that the questionable pattern just was a ‘matter of chance’.

It said: “Fiorentina and the manufacturers, Lotto, would like to underline that the optical [swastika] effect is purely a matter of chance.”

Due to fan outrage, the team were quickly stripped of the jersey and played the remainder of their away games in a completely different kit that season.

It’s said that almost all of the players’ shirts were destroyed, and many followers of Fiorentina themselves did away with the 92/93 offering.

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However, due to the limited number still in circulation, it has become somewhat of a collector's item.

Tim Beddow, a sports memorabilia specialist from the Midlands apparently got his mitts on one after the side played Aston Villa in a pre-season friendly over 30 years ago.

Speaking to Birmingham Live back in 2013, Beddow said: “I can understand why people would be suspicious.

“In Italy, there are certain teams that are quite right wing and certain teams that are left wing.”

The collector went on to say that the Fiorentina shirt is an, ‘exciting find’ and the one he owns is ‘definitely a ‘player-worn’ shirt, not a replica’.

The shirt has become a bit of a collector's item but you can see the symbol here. Image: Retro Football

“The shirt I have was not actually worn during the match,” he continued.

“It was swapped after the game and brought back to Birmingham. I’d love to know which player wore the number four – I’ve trawled the internet and drawn a blank.”

Discussing how you can tell the difference between a replica and the real-deal, Beddow stated: “The giveaway is that it has a professional, hand-pressed, machine-stitched badge. On the replicas, the badge is picked-out within the material.”