Why do Croatia play in red and white checks? Luka Modric and co to wear iconic kit at Euro 2024 inspired by nation's coat of arms

18/04/2024 11:48

Croatia's iconic red and white checkered shirts will be taking to the pitch in Germany at Euro 2024 this summer. 

The Vatreni will be playing in their eighth European Championships and Luka Modric will lead his country into the tournament. 

Modric is embarking on what is likely to be his last major international competition and he will be aiming to get his hands on the trophy. 

He'll be donning his nation's iconic shirt but why is it checkered? talkSPORT.com takes a look…

Why do Croatia play in red and white checks? 

Croatia play in red and white checks because of the country's coat of arms. 

Their coat of arms is a shield with a red and white checkerboard design in the background. 

That design has been present in many other iterations of the symbol since the 15th century so it represents the long history of the nation. 

Even when Croatia was part of Yugoslavia, the colours and checkered style remained. 

So when the country became independent in 1991, the man who designed the nation's flag and coat of arms, Miroslav Sutej, decided to make it a key part of the Croatian identity. 

And therefore it was then used for the national football teams on their kits and as part of their badge. 

There are also some claims that the red and white on the checks symbolise the White Croatia and Red Croatia which are names for different regions of the country. 

However, that has no confirmation of being the official meaning. 

As well as the football teams, many other Croatian sports teams don the red and white checks, meaning it has become a universal symbol of the nation. 

The Croatian Euro even includes the checks on one side. 

Alongside the home kit, Croatia’s away strip also usually incorporates the checks with a different colour and design.