Honouring the history of hundreds of black people who have worn the clubs' jerseys, inspiring youngsters to fight for their dreams with courage, resilience and strength, Flamengo and Internacional have joined forces with adidas to unveil the special edition 'Excelência Negra' (Black Excellence) jerseys.
Inspired by the “Black Excellence” manifesto created by Marcelo Carvalho, one of the creators of the Soccer Racial Observatory project, adidas have joined forces with Flamengo and International to launch two special shirts in honour of Black Consciousness. Internacional debuted the kit in their 1-0 loss to Cuiabá yesterday.
The new shirts are predominantly black and feature details from the manifesto applied within the numbers of the jersey, with phrases such as "The black man in Brazilian football is the brand of Brazil" and "Black players won the world". In addition, both models receive a patch of Black Power hair at the centre of the chest, with the phrase “É a Coroa” stamped throughout the design, inspired by the iconic phrase by Babu Santana, Flamengo fan and a symbol of racial activism. The two teams' shirts are exactly the same template, with only the respective club crests being swapped in.
“It's very important to see an action that honours black men and women who helped build the wonderful history of Brazilian football,” said Marcelo Carvalho, creator of the Observatório Racial do Futebol. “The fight against racism is also about avoiding erasing the history of athletes who, with their talents, made Brazilian football not only a winner, but also remembered for being something magical.
“May our girls and boys know the stories of those who enchanted Brazil and the world, and that this tribute aims to reinforce all the contribution that black men and women have brought to Brazilian football."
Pick up the Flamengo 'Black Excellence' shirt at adidas.com.br
