DEBATE: The New Nigeria Colours - An opportunity missed?

Sportmasta Nigeria present two writers' views on the new Nigeria colours and their unveiling; do they represent a missed opportunity or a vivid, luminous look to the future?

DEBATE
By Destiny Okeowo & Sam Okeowo
This last week Adidas launched the new Super Eagles kit, the shirts will be worn for the friendly against Mexico this Wednesday. In this feature, two Sportmasta Nigeria writers evaluate the colours and give their opinions on the ‘new look’ Super Eagles.

Destiny Okeowo—“Left with a hatful of disappointments”
The much-anticipated unveiling of the new Nigeria kits for the FIFA World Cup in Brazil have taken place in Abuja, but most fans have been left bitterly disappointed by the ‘new look’ Super Eagles.
The new kits were designed by sportswear giants and long-serving official kit partners of the NFF, Adidas. The most notable alteration from the previous home kit is the colour. The Super Eagles, who have been known to don a darker green, will now appear in another shade of green; lime.
Fans of the Super Eagles who have been calling for the national team kit to be upgraded have been left with mixed-feelings with this new design from Adidas, who are revered for their highly creative standards. The utter lack of creativity and imagination by the NFF ‘eggheads’ during the unveiling ceremony left many infuriated, dumbfounded and disappointed.
Many believe Adidas, who are also kit-makers for Argentina and Spain, to mention but two, were not creative enough with the new Super Eagles kit. They (Adidas) described the kits as a projection of “spontaneity and freshness” but the colour of the home kit, which is reminiscent to that donned by the team to the unfruitful 2002 FIFA World Cup, isn’t quite encouraging and appealing enough for the average Super Eagles fan.

"Disinterested, unorganized, unimaginative and passionless"

The unveiling ceremony has also received a lot of criticism from fans, home and abroad, and quite rightly so. Comparing the uninspired event organised by the NFF to the hype, ‘swag’ and glamour that accompanied the unveiling of some other nation’s kits such as Brazil, Argentina and Spain, leaves one frustrated, with a hatful of disappointments.
In what was supposed to be a glittering, attractive, fun-filled and passionate presentation, home based players cum ‘models’, Chigozie Agbim, Abdullahi Shehu and Ejike Uzoenyi, looked disinterested, unorganized, unimaginative and passionless.
There is certainly no use crying over spilt milk. The kits have been designed and unveiled, in a rather typical Nigerian manner, ‘anyhow-anyhow’, but the question on the lips of all Super Eagles fans worldwide is, could it have been done better?
Sam Okeowo—Fluorescent Adolescent
Was the unveiling of the new Nigeria kits an opportunity missed? Well, probably, yes.
The unveiling of the national team kits, especially in this, a World Cup year, is very much a big deal. However, the shoddiness of the NFF regarding organising important events is nothing new. The ceremony itself may have left a lot to be desired (would it really have been too much trouble to have the team’s truly decisive figures flown in from their playing stations in Europe?), but there can be no disputing that as far as innovation goes, the new kit is a welcome breath of fresh air.
Gone is the depressingly dark and monotonous green hue that has robed the African champions for the better part of a decade. In its place is a fresh lemony offering, in homage to the kit worn at the very first appearance of the Super Eagles at a FIFA World Cup back in 1994.
Many have insisted that it is not in consonance with the shade of green on the national flag. To them I present a question: Why does Ghana play in all-white? Why does Australia play in yellow and green? Germany’s first and second kits feature colours that are not to be found on their flag: white and green respectively.
There is more to national colours than the inspiration of a flag!

Nigeria 2002 | Difficult to see...past the group stage

Contrary to popular perception, this kit colour is quite different from Nike’s ill-advised design for the Korea/Japan World Cup in 2002, where the fluorescent green made it difficult to even see the white lettering. The fact that it was ultimately an unmemorable outing for the Super Eagles in the Far East ultimately conjures ill-feeling toward any attempt at deviation, but in the opinion of this writer, it is a vast improvement on any Adidas kit before it.
Having long been an advocate for the use of the colours present on the Coat of Arms (red, black, silver) as well as the NFF crest, it was also pleasing to see the use of red lettering on the away kit. Hopefully, this fresh take on the national colours will continue going forward, and we will get to see the African champions in more colourful attire.