Well that’s a shame
A licensing problem has meant that Bohemian Football Club have been forced to remove the image of Bob Marley from their new away shirt for the 2019 season, much to the disappointment of many fans.
Bohemians had purchased the licence to use an image of the Reggae legend in the new design however the Bob Marley representative agency has since been in touch and let the League of Ireland club know that the third-party photo licensing company which sold the image did not have the authority to do so, forcing a change to the jersey.
The Dublin club attempted to obtain the licence through the agency directly but contractual obligations meant that was not possible.
The Bob Marley shirt earned worldwide attention when the design was unveiled a fortnight ago, with the musical icon’s son, Ky-Mani, describing it as “the dopest shirt I’ve ever seen.”
The design will be changed to instead include the image of a clenched fist which, according to a club statement, should be seen as a “symbol of solidarity and support used to express unity, strength and resistance.”
Supporters who had pre-ordered the original jersey have been encouraged to contact Bohs in order to get a full refund of the price paid, a shop credit note or the new redesigned away jersey.
Admirers of the Bob Marley shirt, which was designed to pay tribute to Marley’s final outdoor performance at Dalymount Park in July 1980, flocked to put orders in for the jersey, with purchases coming from more than 45 countries across 5 continents.
Bohemians intend to donate 10 per cent of the profits from sales of the new jersey to a fund which will continue the initiative of bringing people living in Direct Provision to games at Dalymount Park.
#Bohs statement on 2019 away jersey redesign: https://t.co/JKXVuKzAqz ✊🏿 pic.twitter.com/JqCIMx9483
— Bohemian Football Club (@bfcdublin) November 5, 2018
“MASI warmly welcomes this initiative by the Bohemian Football Club,” said Lucky Khambule, coordinator of Movement of Asylum Seekers in Ireland.
“Bohemians have been assisting MASI and bringing people in Direct Provision to games for several years and are very proactive on numerous other social issues too.
“We hope the jersey is a huge success and allows for many more trips to Dalymount Park in 2019 for those affected by Direct Provision.”
