The Haitian national football team is getting ready for its big return to the world stage, but the squad will be wearing slightly different uniforms than originally planned. FIFA rejected the team's tournament jerseys, deeming certain design elements too political under its official equipment guidelines.

The ruling comes just ahead of Haiti's group stage opener against Scotland on Saturday. This tournament is a massive deal for the country, marking the first time the team has qualified for the World Cup since 1974.

The design debate centers on the graphic on the right hip of the shirts, which features silhouettes inspired by the Battle of Vertières and the Haitian Revolution. Kit manufacturer Saeta designed the home blue, away white, and third red uniforms to include imagery honoring Jean-Jacques Dessalines. He is the revolutionary leader who famously tore the white band off a French flag in 1803 to create a new flag for the world’s first free Black republic.

Saeta put out a statement explaining that the design was meant to honor the pride and resilience of the Haitian people, not to make a political statement. The company said it worked closely with the Haitian Football Federation and submitted several ideas through the regular approval channels. Even though Saeta didn't see eye to eye with FIFA on how the graphics were interpreted, the brand respected the process and made the changes FIFA asked for.

Haiti actually wore the original versions of the shirts last week during friendly matches against New Zealand and Peru. But the team has already sorted out the adjustments for the main event. During the official tournament portrait sessions, players were spotted wearing the updated jerseys without the revolutionary silhouettes.

If fans are looking to grab one of the original jerseys, they are out of luck. The first versions are completely sold out on the Saeta website, and it does not look like the company is planning to drop a batch of the altered shirts anytime soon. Right now, the official FIFA online shop only has two items available for Haiti: a trucker hat and a scarf.

Interestingly, this is the second time this year that a Haitian team has had to change up its uniforms at a major international event. The International Olympic Committee also made Haiti’s ski team redesign its suits right before the Winter Olympics in Milan. In that case, designer Stella Jean used imagery of a revolutionary figure, which Olympic officials decided went against the rules for athlete expression.