Football club faces storm over ‘Russian flag’
Dutch football team SC Heerenveen has dismissed claims that its new promotional shirts have anything to do with Russia Read Full Article at RT.com
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The promotional uniforms are a tribute to SC Heerenveen’s three decades of accomplishments, the team says
A Dutch football club has dismissed the “annoying” suggestion that its new promotional uniforms feature the Russian national flag. Some have suggested that the perceived detail was put there through blackmail.
SC Heerenveen, which is based in the northern Dutch province of Friesland, unveiled the new jerseys on Thursday. Unlike the regular white and blue stripes of the Frisian flag, they are mostly red, with white and blue stripes on the sleeves.
The jerseys are a tribute to the away uniforms that were worn during the 1993-94 season, which was a breakthrough for the team. The uniforms celebrate 30 years of uninterrupted participation in the Eredivisie, the top division in the Netherlands.
Some commenters online took issue with the sleeves, claiming they are a hidden reference to the Russian flag, which is white, blue, and red.
“We find it very annoying and not fun that they see it that way,” SC Heerenveen Commercial Director Martin Koopman told local media. He said he personally only thought of the flag of the club’s province.
