Germany, Belgium's early exits lead to jersey devaluation

Doha, Dec 9 (IANS) The jersey prices of Germany and Belgium have dropped by a big margin in Doha following their poor performances at the 2022 Qatar World Cup.

The World Cup is not just a competition among the 32 squads but also a crucial market for the jersey sponsors. For some favourites who remain in Qatar, their jerseys have been sold out, but in stark contrast, for some other sides that have already left, their kits are unsalable.

In a shopping mall located in Doha, the jerseys of England, Argentina and Portugal who moved into the quarterfinals, are the most sought after, but those of Germany and Belgium that failed to live up to the expectations have to be sold at a discount, reports Xinhua.

Four-star Germany suffered a shock elimination at the group stage, the price of their authentic jersey plummeted from 670 Qatari riyal (about 184 U.S. dollars) to 329 Qatari riyal (about 90.3 U.S. dollars), a Belgium jersey originally priced at 430 Qatari riyal also dropped nearly 50 per cent. Besides, the jerseys of Spain and Japan also fell in price by different degrees.

A customer who purchased a basket of discount merchandise told Xinhua that he was not a die-hard for these teams but just thought the price was nice for a jersey collection.

"We have prepared a large number of top favourite jerseys for the fans, but their unexpected eliminations make it difficult for us to destock, so we have to give a discount," a salesman said.