Nike Releases Roma’s Third Kit for 16/17, Sponsor Incoming?

The final piece has fallen into place for Roma. For the stadium? No. For the squad? Hah. For this season’s kits? Now you’re on the money. Nike and Roma have released the Capitoline club’s third shirt for the season, and it’s sure to be a polarizing one. It’s stripe-y, it’s very, very, very, bright, and it’s coming to a Roma match near you.

A.S. Roma (asroma.com)

Here’s what Roma and Nike’s respective PR teams came up with to describe the kit:

The striking new strip features a bold and vibrant blend of colours. It will debut on the pitch on 18 September, when Luciano Spalletti's players face Fiorentina.

It boasts an energising tonal graphic print of action red horizontal lines against a bright orange background, which fade as they reach the hem to create a sense of movement.

The sleeves and shoulders are action red to frame this graphic print and emphasise the power of the shoulders.

When worn for night games this vibrant kit will glow and naturally highlight the players under the floodlights.

The shirt features a modern and clean v-neck collar, with an action red band on the back, and ‘AS Roma’ on the back neck rib.

The sides of the kit also have a black stripe that runs the length of the shirt and bright orange shorts, which expands when the player is in motion to provide greater ventilation and reveal bold flashes of a darker team red underneath.

Perhaps knowing that some of the more conservative members of the Giallorossi fan base may be less than thrilled with such a loud kit, Roma wisely decided to use Roma’s Next Great Hope In The Midfield and Argentinian Justin Bieber Leandro Paredes to model the kit. Take a look:

It’s also being reported by unofficial sources that a sponsor (gasp) will be announced at an event featuring Dutch Jesuus and Philips’ First Attempt at a Sentient Washing Machine Kevin Strootman tomorrow. If this comes to pass, Roma may finally end a four-year drought in that department, perhaps assisting with some aspects of Financial Fair Play in the long-term.

This shirt is sure to cause a mixed reaction, but to put it simply, Romanisti will find it at least tolerable by the end of the season. I’ll be fine with whatever the squad wears every match, so long as we win and so long as Francesco Totti keeps on creating his magic.

Author’s Note, 3:55 PM: It looks as if the sponsor mentioned in reports will not be the main sponsor, so we may have to keep waiting on that front.