No goals, but four ripped kits and one burst ball. The shortage of action in France and Switzerland’s dull 0-0 draw in Lille on Sunday night prompted increased attention on deficient equipment, with Swiss kits tearing easier than paper and the winger Xherdan Shaqiri telling Blick: “I hope Puma does not produce condoms.”
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Granit Xhaka, the new Arsenal midfielder, had to change his jersey twice during the Group A game, while Admir Mehmedi and the striker Breel Embolo also required replacements following tugs that did not appear especially vicious.
“We have had a few problems with the jersey,” Embolo said. “The kit manager is not fully ready yet, but we are.”
Yann Sommer the goalkeeper added: “It can happen. It means it was a fight on pitch.”
A Puma spokesperson told the Guardian: “Five Puma teams have played 10 games in this tournament without such problems. Our product people are currently investigating the shirt material. We will provide a further update when we have one.”
In a later statement, the manufacturers added: “There was one batch of material where yarns had been damaged during the production process, leading to a weakening in the final garment. This can happen, if the combination of heat, pressure and time is not properly controlled in the manufacturing process. The tight fitting ACTV jerseys are made of an elastane and polyester material mix. The defective material was used in only a limited number of Swiss home jerseys.”
Adidas were also left red-faced when one of their Beau Jeu footballs burst when Antoine Griezmann was challenged by Valon Behrami. One of Griezmann’s studs appeared to put a hole in the ball. The balls retail at £105.
In a statement, Adidas said: “We are looking into what happened. Incidents of this nature are extremely rare. The reason for the tear has not yet been identified but Beau Jeu has been widely praised by respected experts for its contribution to the exciting start to the tournament.”
A point was enough for both teams to progress to the last 16. Switzerland will play the second-placed finisher in Group C in Saint-Étienne on Saturday afternoon, while the hosts will meet a third-placed finisher in Lyon on Sunday.