SCOTLAND’S opening World Cup match opponents have been forced into a last-minute redesign of their kit by Fifa, due to their jerseys making a “political statement” about independence.
Competing at the tournament for only the second time in their history, Haiti will face off against Scotland in the first round of Group C matches in the early hours on Sunday morning before playing Morocco and Brazil.
The Concacaf qualifiers are set to play in their royal blue home kit designed by Colombian sportswear company Saeta, with Steve Clarke’s men in their Adidas coral away kit.
However, with just days away from kick off, Haiti was informed they must redesign their jersey ahead of the game after it failed to comply with Fifa rules due to potentially being interpreted as a political statement.
Fifa ordered Saeta to redesign the jersey due to its regulations, which prohibit the use of any “political, religious, or personal messages or slogans” after its kit depicted “independence heroes” raising the Haitian flag.
The footballing governing body’s contention resided on the jersey’s right hip, which depicted silhouettes inspired by the Battle of Vertières and the 1803 Haitian revolution, where Jean-Jacques Dessalines tore the white band off of a French flag to create a new flag for “the world’s first free black republic”.
On the decision, a spokesperson for the Haitian national team said: “Following a misinterpretation, Fifa officials asked the federation to remove an image depicting Vertières and some independence heroes raising the Haitian flag.
“Vertieres is the site of the last battle leading to our independence, fought on November 18, 1803. Ironically, the team qualified for the 2025 World Cup on November 18, 2025.
“The federation has not issued any [further] statement on the matter; they simply asked Saeta to change it.”
Responding to Fifa’s ruling, Saeta said the kit was a “tribute to the men and women who contribute every day to Haiti's future” and “was not intended as a political statement”.
It added: “Fifa determined that certain visual elements could be interpreted differently under its equipment regulations and ultimately requested modifications to the design.
“While this interpretation differed from our intention, Saeta respected the process and implemented the final requirements communicated by Fifa.”
It continued: “While this interpretation differed from our intention, Saeta respected the process and implemented the final requirements communicated by Fifa.
“We remain proud to have contributed, alongside the Haitian Football Federation, to this historic moment for Haitian football and wish the team every success at the Fifa World Cup.”
The Saeta website has since sold out of all three versions of the jersey, the home, away, and third choice kit, which depicted the “independence heroes”.
It has since been confirmed that Haiti has agreed to change both their blue home and white away World Cup kits ahead of their first game of the tournament.
The new strip design is set to omit the 1803 Battle of Vertieres silhouette.
