The fever for the title at the World Cup in Qatar does not subside. But two months after the consecration of the World Cup, the fans are unable to achieve their highest aspiration: receive the official 3-star Argentina national team jersey supplied by Adidas. Not even the one with 2, because according to the German brand insists, demand has overtaken them to the euphoria of the fans who had already been thrilled with Messi and Scaloni’s team for some time.
Officially, the new national team shirt went on sale on July 28, in two versions: The reply” (or that of the fan) e the prize”, identical to the one used by the players. Since then, there has been a shortage of supplies. “Messimania” has escalated in such a way that it exacerbated the T-shirt shortageto the desperation – and in many cases also to the resignation – of thousands of fans.
On the official Adidas portal, the 2-star starting jersey is priced at $17,000, but it is “out of stock”. The same goes for Messi’s “10” (worth $20,000) and the 3-star one with the official FIFA gold patch with the legend “Champions 2022”, which is listed at $23,000. Even major sports chains (Dexter or Stock Center, for example) have no stock alternatively we propose one of Le Coq Sportif “homage” to the champions of ’86at $23,000.
At Adidas, they deny that the shortage has anything to do with import barriers. They say that the shirts are made in the country by RA Intertrading and the fabrics are mostly domestic. “Sold 55% more than the 2018 World Cup in Russia, well above our projections,” complained the company. The bottleneck worsened in February, because many of RA Intertrading’s staff were on holiday.
“Usually they do it in January, but we postpone the license until try to cover the demand after the championship. Some have already returned and in the next few days we will have the full squad,” said the company, which is working to its maximum capacity to supply various brands and football clubs. The return of workers to its main plant located in Villa Lugano ( 850) provides for greater production, but this does not imply a possible regularization of the stock of jerseys of the selected team.
The explanation is that RA Intertrading is the official supplier of Boca and River (which have Adidas as sponsors), San Lorenzo (Nike), Racing (Kappa), Independiente (Puma), Rosario Central and Atlético de Tucumán (Umbro). With the start of the local championship, redirected production to supply these teams, and without forgetting those of the representative of the AFA. “Demand will continue to be high throughout the year,” they predict with great optimism.
Messi’s presence in Qatar has allowed the entity to bill the country and the world. In just one year, the AFA managed to raise about $50 million, an all-time record. That’s not counting the $30 million floor that the contract with Adidas carries, plus royalties for global sales of at least 2 million T-shirts, according to estimates before the start of the World Cup. There is anger with the German brand. They say they made “many offers” due to lack of goods, without success.
In the company they explain that it is very difficult to increase production levels since the making of the T-shirts “is an artisanal work which requires highly skilled personnel, such as seamstresses and cutters”. In the textile industry they agree that there is a shortage of manpower and that this has to do with the departure of many Bolivian and Peruvian workers, who have returned to their countries of origin due to the unfavorable exchange rate.
At Adidas they swear that import restrictions have nothing to do with the shortage of T-shirts, as they claim in the AFA and some First clubs. “We are doing very well with the level of approvals, but this has to do with products that are not manufactured in the country, such as some models of shoes and backpacks,” they explained.
The option to add more suppliers to increase the offer is not in the folder. “The laboratories are highly specialized, it can’t be done anywhere,” they apologized.
Source: Clarin
