Four players at the World Cup so far have had their jerseys “ripped in one circumstance or another, in three cases requiring them to go off the field and change into a replacement,” with all four shirts manufactured by Puma, according to Daniel Austin of BBC.com. In all four cases, the tears happened when players “were being pulled by opponents.” But shirts made by other manufacturers “appear to have made it through similar incidents without damage.” Teams at the tournament wearing Puma kits include Czech Republic, Paraguay, Egypt and Morocco. The jerseys are made from a material the German manufacturer calls Ultraweave. The fabric is “designed to be extremely lightweight and reduce the feeling of friction while playing,” and is “billed by the company as ‘the game’s fastest football jersey.’” Puma said that a typical Ultraweave shirt “weighs only 72 grams and is made primarily of recycled polyester,” and claimed that development of the four-way engineered mechanical stretch underwent a “year of ‘vigorous wear testing.’” In a statement, Puma said, “Player feedback has shown that they prefer lighter materials in their jerseys to achieve a better performance at the highest level.” The material “feels paper-like.” The “authentic” version of the Puma jerseys for fans are “made of the same material, while ‘replica’ versions are not.” In online reviews, products made from the fabric are “generally given praise for their ‘breathability’ and ‘comfort,’ but criticised for their ‘durability’” (BBC.com, 6/22).
Puma under scrutiny as World Cup jersey rips impact multiple players
