Ajax goes Marley way
A few hours after Dutch Football Club Ajax announced their Bob Marley-inspired jersey, their website crashed due to an influx of orders.
As part of paying homage to Bob Marley and his 1977 hit, Three Little Birds, the black shirt bears a red, green, and gold trim. It has three birds stitched in the back of the same colours and was manufactured by Adidas. The jersey is earmarked to be worn in the Champions League.
Three Little Birds became the unofficial anthem for Ajax fans from as early as 2008 after a friendly against Cardiff at Ninian Park in the Welsh capital. The stadium disc jockey played the song for the thousands of fans present who immediately adopted it and have sung it at every match — home and away – since.
An official press release by Ajax on Friday read in part: “Today, Ajax and Adidas, in collaboration with the Bob Marley family, release the 2021-2022 Ajax third kit. The kit is a tribute to the Ajax fans and the love shared by the club and its fans for reggae legend Bob Marley and his iconic song, Three Little Birds.”
Meanwhile, Marley’s daughter Cedella, has expressed enthusiasm at the honour being given to her father.
“I am beyond touched that Ajax has taken Three Little Birds and made it their anthem. Stories like this warm my heart and show how impactful songs like Three Little Birds can be. Soccer was everything to my father…and to use his words ‘Football is freedom.’ ”
The track Three Little Birds was inspired by Marley’s backup singers, the I-Three, comprising his wife Rita, Marcia Griffiths, and Judy Mowatt. The I-Three appeared on several of Marley’s groundbreaking albums, including Natty Dread, Rastaman Vibration, and Exodus.
They also scored a handful of hit songs including Neighbour, Jealousy, and Many Are Called. Griffiths had a solo hit with He’s A Legend, a song she wrote.
Many Bob Marley fans have since taken to social media to laud Ajax for the new sports kit.
“Not an Ajax fan, but I’m definitely getting this jersey,” Adwad Jawneh commented on Instagram.
Tamara Gualberto said, “OMG [Oh my God] I love it so much!”
“This is the perfect kit,” said Eduardo Quintero.
Marley died on May 11, 1981 of cancer in a Miami hospital. He was 36.
