Mali national team sponsor inspired by Michael Jordan

Vibrant colors, bold patterns, semi-unknown suppliers: the Africa Cup has started just a few days ago, and except for Group F - composed of Morocco, Tanzania, Zambia, and Democratic Republic of the Congo - all the national teams have taken the field, showcasing their playing kits worldwide. Despite one of the most incredible being that of Nigeria, another successful experiment from the collaboration between Nike and the Super Eagles national team, there are many other notable uniforms that pique the curiosity of fans. This is especially intriguing because, apart from PUMA, Nike, adidas, Macron, and Kappa, many of these kits are manufactured by brands that are not well-known to major European league clubs, such as Lacatoni, Tempo, Tovio, One All Sports Sandaland, Guisport, and Airness. Some of these suppliers have already been involved in interesting stories.

An example is One All Sports, the sponsor of Cameroon, which - for reasons still unknown - did not provide the new kit to the Lions for the match against Guinea, thus denying the opportunity to see one of the most interesting patterns of this competition. However, the Africa Cup, in terms of kits and suppliers, holds many more peculiarities. One of them involves Airness, the sponsor of the Mali national team, which has a unique story that somehow connects the United States, France, and the West African country itself.

The Story of Airness

Airness was founded in 1999 by Malamine Koné, a Malian entrepreneur raised in the suburbs of Paris. For Malamine, sports were both a cross and delight, pain, and joy. A serious injury interrupted his boxing career, an event that allowed him to understand that the only way to make sports a cornerstone of his life was to establish a brand. Thus, Airness was born, a name that unmistakably refers to one of the many celebratory nicknames of Michael Jordan, "His Airness." The logo, on the other hand, has little to do with MJ, as it features a panther, a reference to Malamine Koné's nickname during his boxing days. Airness gained visibility when Koné started selling hoodies on the streets of the suburbs, and according to Versus, in 2006 Koné told The Economist: "The long and forced convalescence after the injury allowed me to observe things in a way I had never done before, including the workings of fashion."

The Rise of Airness in Football

In the mid-2000s, Airness became the supplier for an endless list of clubs in Ligue 1. The first was Rennes in the 2004/2005 season, followed by Nantes, Auxerre (which remains Airness' most loyal partner to date), Lille, Toulouse, and Le Havre. Regarding national teams, Mali was not the first to be sponsored by Airness. There was a brief appearance of the panther on the uniforms of the national team of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, as well as Gabon, Guinea, Mali, and Benin. Additionally, Airness is credited with introducing a stylistic innovation in the Premier League during its sponsorship of Fulham, namely the "thumb holes" in the cuff area of the long-sleeve jersey, holes where the player can insert the thumb for simple comfort, a feature adopted today by many Nike Pro products. Airness also boasted a decent selection of apparel worn by players of the caliber of Didier Drogba and Djibril Cissé, practically the only global ambassadors in the history of Airness.

Today, Airness is still a sponsor of the Mali National Team, a current participant in the Africa Cup of Nations in Ivory Coast. Additionally, Airness serves as the supplier for the Brittany Football Selection, a team that is not affiliated with either FIFA or UEFA. The matches of this team take place under the auspices of the French Football Federation and FIFA regulations, adding an extra layer of mystique to its story.