The Nigeria's jersey by Nike is becoming a political statement

It's not just an aesthetic factor. The jersey of Nigeria is a political symbol. These days the African country is experiencing a period of socio-political turbulence that has become of global interest and everyone knows what is happening in Laos - according to the NY Times, the police have even killed twelve people. Simy, Osimhen, Ighalo are some of the Nigerian players who are denouncing in front of the cameras - and on social media - what is happening in their country. But rappers and characters from the show are also protesting against that n act in Laos, and they do so through Naija's uniform. For this reason too, Nigeria's football shirt takes on a different meaning.  

According to MacroTrends, Nigeria is the country from which the majority of immigrants come from in Europe, and today, there is already a second generation that has grown up in European countries. In fact, many footballers, rappers and artists are nigerians but grew up in Europe, and their connection to Africa has remained very strong. That's why wearing the Nigeria jersey, for them (but also for others) is more than a fashionista choice. The Instagram profiles of these influencers are filling up with photos with the hastagh #endsars (SARS is not the disease but the police forces that are the perpetrators of violence) and there are messages of closeness and support from everyone. And they do it wearing the Nigeria jersey. Like Octavian, photographed wearing the latest model, or Skepta, posting a photo (which has become a trend) of Nigeria's bloodied flag. Anthony Joshua also posted a story on Instagram denouncing Sars' violence. For the communication vehicle that are the football jerseys, wearing the Jersey of Nigeria means displaying a political symbol. 

The "for Naija" jerseys of the Russian World Cup have quickly become a commercial phenomenon. With more than three million registered orders, the uniform inaugurated a way of representing football outside the stadium: on the one hand, an aesthetic object of undisputed success, on the other a symbol of a generation, the Naija, which has become an international reality. Led by Skepta and other leading successful figures, Naija's young Nigerians identify themselves in this uniform, which invaded the streets of the world after Russia 2018 and which, now, has been cited by this year's new jersey. In recent days it was precisely the movement that was the first to shout in the world about the violence of Sars, because despite this generation being expatriate, footballers, rappers, artists, designers are a voice of Nigeria. 

It is from the violence of Laos that the interest in a jersey comes, while in other cases, the football-culture link is expressed from another direction of travel, the one that leads from the field to external representation. In Turkey, for example, wearing the Başakşehir shirt means - beyond cheering - accepting support from Erdogan, the club's owner and figure identified by that team. Or in Israel, where displaying the Beitar Jerusalem jersey also means identifying with a very clear political belief - and religious condition. The meshes communicate much more than what is drawn in the pattern or expressed by the colors. Especially in this case, where footballers and artists choose the Jersey of Nigeria as the main vehicle to exploit their popularity and talk to millions of people with a photo.