Hi, my name is Jwan, I was born in Qamishlo, Rojava and currently live in Amsterdam. In this blog I will explain everything about the Kurdistan Football Shirt, tell you why I am doing this, share my vision and try to create awareness. You can also read this blog in German or French. 

1. Why a Kurdistan Football Shirt?
2. Mem û Zîn and the Kurdistan Football Shirt
3. Gibraltar, not even a country and smaller than Gund
4. Time for change? Time for a Kurdistan Football Shirt?
5. Vision of Kurdistan FA
6. Kurdistan Football Shirt Design
7. Why Nike?
8. Details of the Kurdistan Football Shirts

Why a Kurdistan Football Shirt?

“So that people won’t say that Kurds have no football team and have no sports history; that all sorts of people have their own national football team and only the Kurds are missing.”

A sad moment

Holland was playing against their biggest rival in 2018: Germany. Holland won 3-0, and I was happy because Holland won. Unfortunately, deep inside I was sad. I was watching all those Dutch people, cheering, hugging and celebrating the win over Germany. For 90 minutes all the Dutch people were one. One for all, and all for one.

I was thinking why can’t Kurds be like this? Why can’t 50 million watch a Kurdistan game with friends and family? Why can’t 50 million Kurds watch Kurdistan with football players from Rojava, Bashur, Rojhilat and Bakur? Why can’t 50 million Kurds be one for 90 minutes?

Unfair

On this planet, we have countries with billions and millions of inhabitants, hundreds of thousands of inhabitants and thousands of inhabitants. All these countries with billions or thousands of inhabitants have a national football team and shirt. They can enjoy watching their national football team and wear a national football shirt.

The Kurds have done many things to make this world a safer place. Sadly, everyone forgets about us. 

We speak Kurdish, we communicate in Kurdish, we eat Kurdish, we listen to Kurdish music, we wear Kurdish clothes and more. So why can’t we wear a Kurdistan Football Shirt and cheer for our Kurdistan national football team?

Unfortunately, Kurdistan is not an official country where Rojava, Bakur, Rojhilat and Bashur are one. But there are more than 50 million Kurds on this planet.

“We are a fearless generation. There’s no limit to what we can achieve. Together we are the future of Kurdistan.”

Mem û Zîn and the Kurdistan Football Shirt

When Ehmedê Xanî wrote the most popular Kurdish love story, Mem and Zin (Mem û Zîn), in the year of 1692, he could have chosen to write in Persian but wrote in Kurdish.

Why did Ehmedê Xanî write in Kurdish?

He was well aware that his decision to write in Kurdish instead of Persian meant that he would never have a wide audience and that his only readers would be Kurds.

He deliberately opted for Kurdish language in order to raise the standing of Kurdish culture in the eyes of the Kurds neighbors. In his own words in 1692:

“So that people won’t say that the Kurds have no knowledge and have no history; that all sorts of peoples have their books and only the Kurds are negligible.” – Ehmedê Xanî.

“Da xelq-i nebêjitin ku Ekrad bê me`rifet in, bê esl û binyad. Enwa`ê milel xwedan kitêb in Kurmanc-i tenê di bê hesêb in.” – Ehmedê Xanî.

This was more than 300 years ago. And in the meantime, there were thousands of Kurdish writers, poets, artists, singers, athletes, authors, bloggers, Youtubers, influencers and moviemakers with one common goal: to preserve the Kurdish culture.

Ehmedê Xanî was not the first poet to write classical poetry in Kurdish; he mentions himself his predecessors Feqiyê Teyran, Elî Harîrî and Melayê Cezîrî, but there appear to have been many other Kurdish poets who are now forgotten because their works have not been conserved (Ehmedê Xanî’s Mem û Zîn and its role in the emergence of Kurdish national awareness, Martin van Bruinessen, 2003).

Especially for these Kurds, we put two Kurdish Tanburs in the Kurdistan Football Shirt design to remember, value and respect them.

“So that people won’t say that Kurds have no football team and have no sports history; that all sorts of people have their own national football team and only the Kurds are missing.”

Gibraltar vs Kurdistan

I did some research on why Kurdistan is not an official member of FIFA.

Fifa stands for (in French) Fédération Internationale de Football Association – or the International Federation of Association Football.

It runs world football and is in charge of organizing and promoting big football tournaments around the globe – the biggest and most famous being the World Cup.

There are 50 million Kurds and no official Kurdistan with all four parts, right?

Gibraltar is not a country too. Gibraltar is a “British Overseas Territory” in Spain. Gibraltar has an area of 6.7km2. Do you know how small that is? In the picture below you see a comparison between the Netherlands and Gibraltar. In the red circle is a little dark spot, that is the size of Gibraltar. 

Holland is 6,391 times bigger than Gibraltar and has a total population of 32,000.

Gibraltar has a national football team, they are a member of FIFA and play official matches.

Can you believe that? 32,000 Gibraltarians compared to 50 million Kurds. They have 0.064% of our population. Not even 0.1%. Why can 32,000 people cheer for their home, that isn’t even a country and at the same time, 50 million Kurds can’t?

Time for change? Time for a Kurdistan Football Shirt?

Every day for the last couple years I have been thinking the same thing. Achieve the same rights for Kurds in sports! Starting with a sport that Kurds love, football. The rivalry between FC Barcelona and Real Madrid fans is bigger in Kurdistan than in Catalunya/Spain itself. We love football and sport; this has nothing to do with politics.

A big shout-out to Carrer Del Kurdistan in Barcelona.

Vision of Kurdistan FA

• to achieve the same rights for Kurds in sports
• to make Kurdistan FA an official member of FIFA
• to make sure that 50 million Kurds can cheer for Kurdistan and be one
• to make sure that future generations can dream of playing for the national Kurdistan football team

Kurdistan Football Shirt Design

For the design of the first Kurdistan Football shirt, we chose a lean start-up approach by carrying out a series of experiments. We designed, measured and learned. Our goal was to create a design that would be accepted by all Kurds and future proof for future generations to use.

We did this by first doing comprehensive research into Kurdistan, Kurds, Kurdish Symbols and the Kurdish Flag. After this we did comprehensive research on football badges. After the research we concluded that there are four types of national football badges:

1. Simple modern
2. Simple symbolic
3. Symbolic detailed
4. Others

Also, we concluded that there are three main shapes: round, shield and out of the box.

Kurdistan Football Shirt Logo

We chose a “symbolic detailed” badge because we wanted to show Kurdish key-elements in the badge. These were the Kurdish mountains, Kurdish sun, Kurdish Culture and the four parts of Kurdistan: Rojava, Bashur, Rojhilat and Bakur.

We also chose a combination of the round and shield shape.

Kurdistan Flag on the Kurdistan Football Shirt

The only thing that was still missing was the Kurdistan flag. The football badge of Japan inspired us to place a Kurdistan flag above the round Kurdistan logo.

In the illustration below I explain the key-elements in the Kurdistan Football Shirt logo:

Why Nike?

The mission of Nike is to bring inspiration and innovation to every athlete in the world. We believe in that mission and want to bring inspiration and innovation to Kurds in sports.

We also believe in the slogan: JUST DO IT. An official Kurdistan Football Shirt? A Kurdistan National Football Team? Kurdistan Football Association? Is this even possible? Maybe it will take years or decades to achieve this. But we are making sure we take the first step. 

“We are a fearless generation. There’s no limit to what we can achieve. Together we are the future of Kurdistan.”

Nike Dri-FIT quality

We wanted to offer excellent quality for Kurdish athletes. The Kurdistan Football Shirts have Dri-FIT technology.

Dri-FIT technology is an innovative polyester fabric designed to help keep you dry so you can more comfortably work harder for longer. Dri-FIT’s unique high-performance microfiber construction supports the body’s natural cooling system by wicking away sweat and dispersing it evenly throughout the surface of the garment so that it evaporates quickly.

Dri-FIT’s sweat-managing properties are permanent for the Kurdistan Shirts. So, go ahead — train, sport and sweat in the Kurdistan Football Shirt Nike.

Details of the Kurdistan Football Shirts

• Nike Dri-FIT
• 100% recycled polyester
• Nike breathe fabric helps you stay dry and cool
• Standard fit for a relaxed and easy feel
• Kurdistan Home Shirt
• Kurdistan Away Shirt
• Kurdistan Goalkeeper Shirt
• Kurdistan Third Shirt
• Kurdistan Jersey Home
• Kurdistan Jersey Away
• Sport: Football, Basketball, Fitness, MMA, Boxing