Away 2021/24
Matchworn Jameel Ible CONCACAF Nations League (various games)
Manufacturer: Capelli Sport
Source: Collector
THE TEAM
It’s not every day that you see Saint Kitts & Nevis’ national squad play against teams like Armenia, Estonia or Andorra, yet, in 2015 (and 2017), the Kittitian (and/or Nevisian) team embarked on a journey to conquer European football. While this endeavor wasn’t particularly successful (a 1-0 win against Andorra and a 3-0 and 5-0 loss against Estonia and Armenia, respectively), Saint Kitts (and their smaller brother “Nevis”) surely made some friends and were visited by the Estonian side a year later.
As you might imagine, a country of 50,000 probably isn’t a contender for the next World Cup, yet, the tiny islands have managed to reach a respectable 73rd place in the FIFA rankings in 2017. Premier League fans might also remember Ces Podd, who made a whopping 565 appearances for Bradford City and who probably is the reason, why a bunch of Premier League players suddenly found themselves in the middle of the Caribbean playing an obscure football tournament.
In 2023, the small island nation achieved its greatest footballing success to date: they qualified for the Gold Cup for the first time, where they were eliminated in the group stage without scoring any points or goals.
THE SHIRT
Although the jersey is not as spectacular as the 1999 "Beaver shirt", the Italian manufacturer Capelli has created a bespoke design for the Kittitian (and Nevisian) team which, with its prominent sash and three stars, provides a nice reference to the country's national flag. The fantastic federation badge, which is made of hard plastic, has been ironed onto the jersey, while the manufacturer logo and the squares on the sleeves are embroidered.
My jersey was probably used in several games in the CONCACAF Nations League and was worn by Jameel Ible, who laces up his boots for the English seventh division club Guiseley A.F.C..
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