FIFA orders Egypt to remove African Cup stars and Haiti to alter independence battle graphic from World Cup kits

Stars only for world champions

Egypt was told by FIFA to remove the seven stars stitched above its federation crest, which symbolised the team's record seven Africa Cup of Nations titles. Under tournament rules, stars on kits may represent only World Cup victories. The Egyptian Football Association confirmed to the German Press Agency (DPA) that it received the directive several months ago and acted in time.

“FIFA informed us that stars referring to continental tournaments are not permitted on shirts during the World Cup.”

Visibility forces colour switch

A separate order from the governing body required Egypt to change the colour of the numbers on their red jerseys from gold to white. FIFA judged the gold lettering too difficult to read during television broadcasts. The altered kits are expected to be ready for the team's opening match against Belgium on Monday, 15 June at 21:00 local time in Seattle.

Haiti's last-minute change

Haiti had to revise their match shirts at the last minute because the original design featured a scene from the final battle of the 1803 war of independence at Vertières, fought between the army of enslaved Haitians and French forces. FIFA prohibits religious and political content on kits, and the imagery was deemed to violate that rule. Haiti wore the unapproved jerseys in only two friendly matches. In their first World Cup appearance in 52 years, Haiti lost 0-1 to Scotland.

Broader tournament tensions

The kit disputes are the latest in a series of off-field controversies at the first 48-team World Cup, jointly hosted by the United States, Canada and Mexico. Earlier, Somali referee Omar Artan, assigned by FIFA to the tournament, was denied entry to US territory. The Egyptian federation stressed it had advance notice and coordinated changes in time, contrasting with Haiti's rushed deadline.