Wikipedia:Reference desk/Archives/Entertainment/2014 June 15

= June 15 =

Japanese soccer team colours
I know that national soccer team jerseys are usually based on the country's flag - except, notably, Australia, which is apparently based on the national flower, and Italy, which uses the colour of the old royal family. But what about Japan? I found that they were wearing blue jerseys at the 1936 Olympics, and won their first ever game, so they took it as a good omen and continued to wear blue. But why were they wearing blue in the first place? Is blue typically associated with Japan? Adam Bishop (talk) 23:37, 15 June 2014 (UTC)


 * Someone will have an answer to your specific question. I would point out that the way the colors are chosen has changed as the game has become more commercialized. FIFA and/or the company making the jerseys now have as much say as the teams themselves. Just look at the ones worn for the Spain v Netherlands match which were not there usual jerseys and had no colors from the countries flags. MarnetteD&#124;Talk 00:37, 16 June 2014 (UTC)


 * Wasn't there something recently about FIFA trying to get the teams to wear shorts with the same colour as the shirts - and Brazil and Uruguay were all like 'lol no'? Something I heard on the radio the other week... --Kurt Shaped Box (talk) 01:20, 16 June 2014 (UTC)


 * Yes, most teams have capitulated. Nanonic (talk) 06:55, 16 June 2014 (UTC)


 * The Japan Football Association, on their own webpage, say "We don't know".Original Google translate Nanonic (talk) 06:55, 16 June 2014 (UTC)


 * The Netherlands of course, generally wear orange in honour of the House of Orange. Teams have to have two different sets of kits to avoid clashes of colours; in the recent game, the Netherlands were wearing their second or "away" kit which is blue (there is a blue stripe on the flag of the Netherlands). England once had grey shirts as their away kit, which was alright until they had to play in a mist and nobody could see each other. Alansplodge (talk) 12:23, 18 June 2014 (UTC)
 * Correction, it was Manchester United that had to change their grey shirts at half time because they were invisible in the fog. However England did have a similar grey strip for Euro 96, it must have been the fashion that year. Alansplodge (talk) 16:53, 18 June 2014 (UTC)