Why is France wearing a green jersey vs. Morocco?
· Yahoo Sports
The French men's soccer team is, rather famously, associated with a bright shade of blue. In fact, the team's most prominent nickname is quite literally, "Les Bleus." That's what makes France's decision to wear a light green "Statue of Liberty" jersey — rather than its classic, beautiful blue — during a quarterfinal match against Morocco in Boston on Thursday so curious.
In a rematch of a 2022 World Cup semifinal, Morocco will be rocking a red-and-green outfit, which matches the colors of the North African country's flag. Meanwhile, France will be wearing a green jersey that looks a bit turquoise and is kind of reminiscent of the shade of a refreshing slice of key lime pie, not one of the most famous statues in human civilization.
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That French decision, at face value, is, in a word, odd. But there's a good reason for it.
According to Spanish publication MARCA, the French are wearing these green/turquoise uniforms as an homage to the Statue of Liberty's original shade of copper, when France gifted it to the United States in the 1880s. Given that, you know, the rest of this men's World Cup is taking place in the United States, it is France deciding to stay thematically appropriate with the setting as the nation chases its third World Cup title.
OK, while I'd admittedly like to see the French return to their blue uniforms should they advance against Morroco, that's a pretty cool reason to go against the grain.
This article originally appeared on For The Win: Why is France wearing a green jersey vs. Morocco?