Blue shorts?! Bayern explains how fans can help pick kit colors

If you haven’t been following the growing hatred over the kits worn by Bayern Munich this year, let me catch you up.

It started when Bayern debuted their new home kit for the 2018/19 season in a 4-1 loss to VFB Stuttgart in May, when a banner in the Südkurve protested the blue accents and shorts in the home kit. Many were quick to point out the color blue is the main color of traditional rivals 1860 Munich. Not only that, but the horrendous mint green and purple combination of the away jerseys was hated by local fans for having nothing to do with Bayern’s traditional colors for home or away kits.

Fans in Munich have put up stickers and signs of protest over the new kits, and have even protested mid-game because of them.

At the end of October, Niko Kovac defended the mint jerseys, which provoked yet another response from the Ultras.

So, with all of the animosity, one may ask how these colors were even chosen in the first place. In an interview with AZ, Bayern’s Director of Internationalization and Strategy Jörg Wacker revealed the process for how Bayern’s kits are designed.

The design and color of the individual parts of the jerseys are subject to limiting factors such as the equipment regulations of the DFL and UEFA and are designed in a complex process far in advance. Concerning FC Bayern, that applies not only when the home team dresses in red, but also in other color combinations in which the difference would not be enough from the perspective of the referee.

How this would lead a club to add blue to the jersey when they’ve always been red and white is beyond me. However, Wacker said that developing these jerseys are a long process and fans do have a chance to provide feedback.

During development, different ideas, combinations, and designs are agreed between ourselves and our partner Adidas. We moreover try to take up and incorporate the interests and ideas of our fans. For example, for the 2017/18 season, the our fans were able to present design proposals; there was a vote, and on this basis, a light-colored alternate jersey was designed for the Champions League.

That contest resulted in this jersey:

Photo by Bryn Lennon/Getty Images

So while all hope is lost for this season, we can all know that Bayern are already beginning the process to design a new home, away, and alternate kit. And after this year, I can take a good guess that there will be plenty of red and white.