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Aston Villa 'disaster' for official partners as deal could now be terminated early
We’re delighted to welcome Sky Sports journalist Dan Bardell as our exclusive Aston Villa columnist as each week he’ll be giving his views on the biggest talking points at the club…
Castore’s Aston Villa shirt controversy has been a “disaster” for the kit manufacturer, according to Dan Bardell.
The club have found themselves in one of the strangest stories of the season so far, with their kits appearing to absorb sweat, making them heavy and disputing the players’ footballing ability.
The Telegraph reported (28 September) that the multi-year deal with Castore is set to be terminated early following the incident, while many remained puzzled as to how such an oversight could have occurred.
One of those is Bardell, who having worn the kit itself, can attest to it’s unsuitability for exercise and playing sports. He suggested this issue could cause Castore long-term damage to its reputation.
Speaking exclusively to Villa News, Bardell said: “It’s obviously not good. It’s not good for the club, it’s not good for the brand. I feel like surely this stuff is tested in pre-season by the club and by Castore to make sure there are no problems.
“Surely there was a team of 11 people that got put in and out of a football match wearing that shirt to see what happened. It’s so bizarre. There were no problems with the kits last season, so for it to come in such velocity this season is a big problem.
“It’s very, very strange and very unusual. You could see in pre-season it was a problem, but being in America you put that down to the heat. But every game those players look like they’ve been swimming.
“I’ve exercised in that shirt myself – it’s not a pretty sight! There’s something in that shirt that makes you sweat, and it’s supposed to be the opposite. It’s not helpful. I’d like to think that I could put the two losses in the league down to the shirt! Villa might be unbeaten, but it absolutely drenches them.
“This is a disaster for Castore. In a couple of years’ time, no one will remember this Villa, but for them as a brand, they’re always going to be associated with this disaster.”
In other Aston Villa news, a BBC pundit has spoken on Youri Tielemans’ “friction” with Unai Emery at Villa Park.