Croatians change World Cup jerseys

It was ruled that there was too much white on them, the Zagreb daily Vecernji List reported Friday.

The decision means the team will play in Germany with a different strip to the one it used in the qualifications and to the replicas sold to tens of thousands of fans.

FIFA ordered the change after it discovered the shirts - red squares on white - had 30 per cent more white on them than allowed under the federation's rules.

The problem was resolved by adding red squares to the back of the jerseys to reduce the area of white. The change was not announced by Croatian football authorities, the report said.

The jerseys are sold by Nike Croatia. The company's marketing director, Dalibor Fustar, confirmed the change but insisted that it would be barely noticeable.

"The two rows of squares are added to the part of the jersey that is tucked into the players' shorts," he said. "The new strip has already been sent to Germany."

Croatia are up against Brazil, Japan and Australia in the group stages of the World Cup beginning June 9. (source : cnn.com)

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