Coaching in style at the World Cup
Print Edition
IN the perfect picture of contrasting coaches’ styles at this World Cup, Alejandro Sabella of Argentina stood near midfield dressed in a suit that looked appropriate for Wall Street, while Bosnia’s Safet Susic stood nearby looking like he was headed for a workout.
Plenty of coaches are setting high standards for style this World Cup, with fitted jackets, gleamingly shined shoes and ties in the national colors. Others look like they want to be comfortable exhorting their players and yelling at referees.
Croatia’s Niko Kovac, a doppelganger of actor Joseph Gordon-Levitt, has been a style star, wearing a fitted suit in the opener against host Brazil in Sao Paulo, but then losing the tie and jacket for a game in steamy Manaus.
“Very simple. For me, managing Croatia is a matter of great pride,” Kovac said last week in Recife. “It’s a holiday for me every day, and our custom back in Croatia is, when it’s a holiday, you put on your Sunday clothes, and that’s it.”
Italy coach Cesare Prandelli and Costa Rica’s Jorge Luis Pinto certainly planned their World Cup wardrobes thoughtfully. Each dapper in their dark suits, they brought some serious style to their postgame handshake in Recife.
Then, there’s US coach Jurgen Klinsmann, a German who has turned California casual in his staple khakis and an untucked navy blue polo. He won’t wear red, though nobody really knows why, and team officials have never seen him in a tie — only a suit jacket when the occasion calls for him to go more formal.
Prandelli’s Dolce&Gabbana dark suits are classic, with a small Italian flag badge on the pocket.
“They have dressed us since 2006, when we won the Cup,” said Demetrio Albertini, the head of the Italian team’s delegation in Brazil and a vice president of the Italian football federation. “It’s a great Italian brand and we’re honored to wear their suits.”
Dolce&Gabbana published a book featuring photos of the Azzurri in formal and casual wear, in “a blend of tradition and national pride.” Proceeds go to a charity to aid a small Brazilian fishing village outside Natal, where Italy played its third Group D match against Uruguay.
Prandelli and Kovac are joined by German coach Joachim Loew on the World Cup’s best-dressed list.
Loew wears a fitted dark button-up shirt with his sleeves rolled up and the top button undone, and gray slacks. The German federation has clothing contracts with Hugo Boss and Adidas, and Loew typically wears the Hugo Boss look for game days.
Greece coach Fernando Santos wore a dark suit and matching narrow tie for his game against Japan. Mexico coach Miguel Herrera has mixed it up, protecting himself from the pouring rain in an athletic jacket at Natal on June 13. When the weather cleared up, he switched to a dark suit and green tie for Mexico’s match with Brazil.
“The coaches who have a role with FIFA World Cup soccer this year are quite diverse and distinct and can be cited as a great visual illustration of the global men’s market,” said Tom Julian, men’s fashion director at The Doneger Group.
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