It seems like the NFL was not misplaced by scheduling two teams that wear green for a Week 1 matchup in a stadium where the color is allegedly banned.
After much was made about the Philadelphia Eagles and Green Bay Packers opening up their 2024 season in Brazil and potentially wearing different colors than their intended green uniforms, Josh Jacobs and the NFL have been quick to clear the air.
Josh Jacobs Issues Apology For Being Misinformed About Brazil Stadium’s Ban on Green
On the Green Light Podcast with Chris Long, new Packers running back Josh Jacobs made the statement that not only were the Packers and Eagles told not to wear green in Sao Paolo, Brazil, but that they must also be very vigilant while being overseas.
“You know, they said that the part of Brazil we’re going to, you can’t even wear green at,” Jacobs originally said. “They said, I guess, something to do with the gangs and stuff.”
NFL players are being told not to wear green in Brazil for the Eagles vs Packers week 1 game
Full Josh Jacobs interview out now on @YouTubehttps://t.co/5Ri3uC6w0s pic.twitter.com/VmuivtC90l
— chris long (@JOEL9ONE) June 6, 2024
Jacobs has since walked back the comment, taking to Instagram to apologize to Brazil by saying he was “misinformed.”
Josh Jacobs postou este story em seu Instagram se desculpando com o BRAZIL e falando sobre ter sido mal informado.
Nos vemos em breve, @iAM_JoshJacobs pic.twitter.com/tGYd4AGCkq
— Packers Brasil 🧀 (@PackersBR) June 7, 2024
The NFL itself put out a statement saying that the Eagles and Packers were not banned from wearing green at all and that the mere conversation came up due to a local soccer rivalry.
“No, neither of these items are true. One of the host stadium’s rival soccer clubs wears green but the league did not say players could not wear green. That is false,” NFL chief spokesman Brian McCarthy said in a statement to Front Office Sports. “Multiple league officials from across the league have made multiple planning trips. As with any international game, we have comprehensive security plans in place coordinated with local officials. Again, there was no guidance provided to the clubs as suggested here.”
As for player safety, the organizations themselves will be together for the entirety of their road trip as is the case with most road contests across the NFL, and the league is certain of their player and organization’s safety.
Can the Packers and Eagles Wear Green in Brazil?
The simple answer is yes. There is no embargo on the Eagles and Packers wearing their normal colors due to a soccer rivalry.
Augusto Melo, President of Sport Club Corinthians, said in a statement that there was no discussion about changing the uniforms of either team and that the Packers were expected to be welcomed with their green uniforms.
“First of all, the predominant color of one of them is white. We are very happy that it matches our color as well,” Melo said. “It’s a contract. As I have always said, our arena needs to be self-sustaining. It’s a great satisfaction to be able to host such an important event. I am very happy. There is no problem at all. We need to make it self-sustaining.”
During the 2016 Summer Olympics, Nigeria faced Colombia at Arena Corinthians with green uniforms, a clear sign that the “rivalry” in Sao Paolo is not strong enough to deter other teams from actually using their natural color schemes.
When Did the Green Ban Originate?
Rivalries are not unique in sports outside of football. When it comes to soccer, those rivalries can be even more bitter than anything America puts forth.
The home stadium for September’s Week 1 game is called Arena Corinthians. The home team, Corinthians (which wears black and white) has a bitter rivalry with a club called Palmeiras, which wears green and white.
While this rivalry has put forth a ban on the color green from entering the stadium, this does not extend to other sports, as the Olympic soccer matches have taken place at this same stadium.
It’s also worth noting that this is not unusual in North American sports either. Several organizations for big games only sell tickets to their hometown team fans as a way to “blackout” the visiting opponent.
In the case of Corinthians, their rivalry with Palmeiras won’t be getting in the way of the Eagles-Packers Week 1 showdown.
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