Ajax Amsterdam special Trikot-Hommage to Bob Marley
Iconic: Bob Marley, here at a concert in the late 1970s, is still fascinating today
Quelle: Getty Images/Express Newspapers
It is not the rule that soccer jerseys trigger a storm of enthusiasm. A new jersey from Ajax Amsterdam does just that. It pays homage to Bob Marley and thus to a special connection between the club and a song by the reggae legend.
Mith new jerseys, that’s always a thing. Not infrequently, even their own fans turn up their noses or at least rub their eyes in amazement. It is not at all easy to survive the critical gaze of the supporters on the one hand and that of the sports fans in general. FC Bayern’s new jersey for the Champions League, for example, received at least a mixed response. And that is expressed benevolently.
It’s completely different now at Ajax Amsterdam. The Dutch club presented a special jersey on Friday, designed together with the sporting goods manufacturer Adidas and based on the unofficial club anthem “Three Little Birds” by Bob Marley. Cool, casual and a direct hit. Not only the Ajax fans are delighted – also a large part of the network community. Anyone who did not immediately know the connection between the club and the reggae legend reacted skeptically – but was promptly cleared up.
Because the Marley song “Three Little Birds” has been an unofficial Ajax anthem for many years – with the blessing of the family of the idol who died in 1981. So it is not the presumption of the club officials to be inspired for the new jersey by Marley and his world hit. In black with red, green and yellow – the colors of the Rastafarian movement – and three small birds on the back under the collar. It’s the third, the third shirt.
“Football meant a lot to my father”
The connection between the Dutch record champions and Bob Marley goes back to 2008. At that time, the club played a friendly against Cardiff City. When the Ajax fans had to wait a long time in the stands after the final whistle, the stadium DJ filled them with music – including “Three Little Birds” with the line “Every Little Thing Is Gonna Be Alright”. The Dutch fans sang along – the song was born as a club anthem.
In 2019, Marley’s son Ky-Mani even traveled to Amsterdam to play the song live in the stadium during a half-time break. A highlight for the fans of the Dutch club.
“I’m touched that Ajax made the song an anthem,” said Marley’s daughter Cedella Marley to the club. “Stories like this are heartwarming and show how powerful songs like ‘Three Little Birds’ can be. Football meant a lot to my father – he said ‘football is freedom’. ” Marley’s football idol is said to have been Pele.
.