Italy unveil new kit

Italy will soon be celebrating in lycra

Italy have unveiled a new kit for Euro 2000 which will apparently appeal to the fashion world and the referee.

The new kit manufacturers boast that the new, super-tight design will help officials spot when opponents are illegally pulling the Italian players' shirts.

The president of the manufacturing company Marco Boglione has sung the praises of the new design.

"The shirt stretches further than traditional kits, allowing players to reach the ball even when their opponents are tugging their shirts."

The design may have been created by modern technology but the romantics keen on tradition shouldn't be too disappointed.

New lycra kit

Traditional attributes such as the high-collar, the azure blue (albeit a slightly lighter shade than recent editions) and an Italian tricolour shield on the left breast remain, and as they have been in the past, the sponsors' logos are confined to the sleeves.

With the shirt being made from lycra rather than polyester, it will stretch in all areas, making it more appealing to both men and women.

"We studied the idea of making skin-tight shorts too but in the end decided against it," Boglione explained.

The new lycra kit will make its debut on the backs of the Italy side who face England soon in the Under-21 European championship in Slovakia.