The colours of the Manchester United and Manchester City new kits, which were launched within a day of each other, have created controversy among fans of both clubs.
Less than a day ago Manchester United announced that the colour of their away kit for the 2024/25 campaign would be dark blue, which supposedly bears no relation to the sky blue worn by arch-rivals Manchester City.
Nonetheless, Pep Guardiola’s side unveiled on Friday that City will wear red for their away games next season. It’s not exactly a bright red, more of a burgundy colour, but the reddish tones have taken on a more prominent role in the video they have posted on social media.
“Revealed to fans yesterday in New York City, the classic burgundy kit with metallic gold trims represents constant movement, on and off the pitch, encapsulating the spirit of a club that’s always evolving and pushing forward,” the Sky Blues wrote on their website, describing the colour selection for their new shirt.
Meanwhile, the Red Devils’ jersey is navy blue, with a polo neck and geometric print all over the garment. Both the crest and the Adidas logo are in white, as are some details on the shirt, such as three white stripes on the sleeves.
The colour selection of the two Manchester clubs caused controversy on social media, with fans joking about the “change of colours” between rival teams.
The two teams will face each other in the Community Shield on 10 August to fight for another title, so it has also been speculated that these kit adverts have served as publicity for the showdown.
Origins of the Manchester club colours
Manchester United, who are renowned for being the city’s historic team, adopted red as an identifying colour in 1902 when they released their first red kit, with white shorts and black socks. This is when they became known as the Red Devils.
They used to wear white shirts with blue shorts and even wore yellow and green in their early days as a football club. Nevertheless, Manchester City are said to have been wearing sky blue since their origins.
The reason for the choice of the club’s colours is unknown but there are rumours that they were selected because of a painting they had hanging in the old Maine Road stadium, which was predominantly light blue.