Myanmar
What's in a name? This country is officially called Myanmar, and has been since a military junta changed it from 'Burma' in 1989. Those who didn't see the military regime as legitimate rulers, and therefore the name change as illegitimate, still referred to the country as Burma. This included other nations such as the UK and the USA. The UN, however, went with Myanmar. The military junta was officially dissolved in 2011, but the name remains Myanmar. A few years ago, on a trip there, then US President Barrack Obama referred to the nation by both Myanmar and Burma. Further proof that the name is still a political hot potato.
The country gained independence from Britain in 1948, but fourteen years later became controlled by military figures after a coup. This is the way it remained for years, until reforms and a (mostly) democratic election in 2011. Aung San Suu Kyi, famous for being placed under house arrest for pro-democracy campaigning, led her party to win many seats in their first election. However, since then San Suu Kyi herself has been accused of overseeing a genocide against Rohingya Muslim communities in the country. At the time of writing, it has been announced that San Suu Kyi will be defending Myanmar at the International Court of Justice in The Hague against these accusations of genocide and other crimes.
The political upheaval didn't escape the national football team, and this shirt is proof of that. The crest found here on the 2010 AFC Challenge Cup shirt, is based on the flag of the time. However, that flag was abandoned on October 21st of that year, and every one of them ordered to be burned. In came the new flag , and that is the one that features on the more recent kits. Personally, I am glad to have this shirt due to that interesting piece of history. As of 2019, there are proposals for a new flag, with the government saying they do not believe the current flag is fully supported by all citizens.
This shirt is made by Thai brand, FBT, and I think is nice design, but not exactly earth shattering. The black trim is a tell-tale sign that is simply teamwear, and not bespoke to Myanmar. It was worn at the 2010 Challenge Cup, where Myanmar lost 5-0 to North Korea in the semi finals. To date, the 60s and 70s were the glory years, when they won the Asian Games twice and several Southeast Asian Games titles. In 2007, they played their first ever World Cup qualifiers, losing heavily to China on aggregate. This was the start of something of a resurgence and they reached the latter knock-out stages of a number of tournaments at youth and senior level, while also saw the first qualifying for a FIFA tournament, the 2015 u20 World Cup.
