‘Che sacrilegio!’: Italy’s new green kit provokes fury as they prepare to unveil ‘Maglia Verde’ against Greece Puma strip is supposed to be inspired by the Renaissance – but Azzurri fans are far from pleased ahead of Euro 2020 qualifier in Rome

ROME — The front page of ­Tuttosport screamed the loudest. In block capital letters, splashed over a red banner at the top of the page like a warning sign, were the words: “The green shirt, what sacrilege!”

This isn’t any green shirt, though. This green shirt has had swathes of Italy supporters up in arms and sparked fierce debate over the state of the modern game.

Earlier this week, Puma unveiled a new Italy kit dubbed the “renaissance shirt” ahead of Saturday’s Euro 2020 qualifier against Greece.

The green was “inspired by the Renaissance period and celebrates the many young talents who are becoming protagonists in the success of the Azzurri”. The marketing material pointed out that 12 players called up to Roberto Mancini’s squad are aged 25 or younger.

Proud history

But what it seemingly missed was the irony of using the national team’s nickname: the Azzurri. Italy have always worn azzurro, or azure blue, and the word itself is synonymous with the country’s national teams across a variety of sports.

The change of colour was too much for some, particularly former Italy international Roberto Boninsegna, the man who handed Tuttosport such an attention-grabbing headline. “It’s a sacrilege,” lamented the former Inter Milan and Juventus striker. “It makes me angry to think that the Italy shirt can have a price tag.”

Gazzetta dello Sport took similarly spiritual offence to the kit launch, arguing that while clubs changing their historic colours is one thing, the national team doing it is something else entirely: the Azzurri shirt was “sacred”.

As if to add insult to injury, Italy will pull on the perceived sacrilegious green shirt for the first time in the shadow of the Vatican City, at the Stadio Olimpico in Rome.

There is just one precedent. Italy wore green in a 2-0 win over Argentina at the same ground in December 1954. After that game, Italy’s youth teams wore green shirts, with the idea being that the chance to upgrade to the Azzurro would provide an extra incentive to the younger generation.

Keeping the fans keen

With social media ablaze, Mancini himself was asked for his thoughts. “I prefer the blue shirt,” he said. “It’s strange. We’ll see what it’s like on the pitch, but I’m a bit more old-fashioned when it comes to shirts.”

He’s clearly not the only one, but an online opinion poll held by Tuttosport suggested that the green v blue debate wasn’t quite as one-sided as you could be led to believe.

A handsome, but not overwhelming, 63 per cent (at the time of writing) say they prefer the traditional blue to the green pretender.

Just as well things are going smoothly for Italy on the pitch. Mancini’s youthful side can ensure their place at Euro 2020 by beating Greece, having won six out of six so far in qualifying.

But while the Italians are unanimously happy to see green shoots of recovery in the team after the humiliating failure to qualify for last summer’s World Cup, a green shirt to represent that progress might be a step too far.