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Matchworn Bounlap Khenkitisack 1995 SEA Games
Manufacturer: FBT
Source: Collector
THE COUNTRY
The landlocked Southeast Asian state of Laos is often overlooked – wrongfully! While the tourists rather flock to Laos’ bigger neighbors Thailand, Vietnam and Cambodia, the country is much calmer and decelerated than the rest of Southeast Asia. On top of that, Laos boasts with natural beauty and hospitable people, as I was able to experience first-hand.
When it comes to football, Laos is overlooked for a reason: the are no achievements to look at in the first place. The team has never managed to qualify for any major tournament whatsoever. Almost exclusively comprised of local players, Laos has been mostly ranked in the bottom ranks of the FIFA table.
THE SHIRT
Unlike its other Southeast Asian neighbors, the Laotian national team has unfortunately never been blessed with particularly spectacular kits.
I was therefore all the more excited when this beauty was offered to me by a collector. But even after a long search, I couldn't find any pictures of Laos wearing this design. The assumption was that it might have come from the 1995 SEA Games in Thailand, as the manufacturer FBT also comes from there, but no pictures of the Laotian selection could be found on the web. Fortunately, the walking national team encyclopaedia Nick from Footballshirtworld.co.uk still had an overexposed picture in his private archive showing the team in this neat design.
It was worn during the tournament by Bounlap Khenkitisack, who also served as coach of his national team from 2004 to 2006 and again in 2011. It is in the same vein as other FBT jerseys of the 90s: wild colors and patterns!
As Laos only started playing with a federation badge on the jersey in the 2010s, the country's national flag is emblazoned on the chest.
The shirt is certainly the most beautiful jersey that “Million Elephants” – the team's nickname – have ever worn and for the first time also reflects the beauty of the country on the football field.
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