War without the shooting is how George Orwell summed up sport. Football's World Cup, which starts on Friday, probably won't necessitate a review of this observation. For the most rabid fans, the tournament is a convenient opportunity to champion national supremacy, decked out in the same official kits that their warrior teams wear for foot-to-foot combat.
Luckily for the more measured, who like Dr Johnson consider extreme jingoism to be the last refuge of scoundrels, "soft patriotism" is an alternative style that has reached record levels of popularity ahead of Germany 2006. Instead of official merchandise, independently minded football followers increasingly choose slogan-bearing tops and T-shirts from companies such asPhilosophy Football that emphasise football's cultural associations (see Albert Camus, a useful goalkeeper in his day) and humour, portraying the current England team in the style of the Bash Street Kids.
Those seeking distance from the flag-waving, face-painted crowds who favour gear approved by national associations can opt for nostalgic designs such as kit worn by Brazil in the landmark 1970 World Cup, and Diego Maradona's Argentina shirts. Companies including Toffs Ltd and Kitbag are meeting a growing appetite for retro andleisure wear such as vintage-design tracksuits with wardrobe life well beyond the final in Berlin on July 9. Indeed, Alan Finch, Toffs' founder and managing director, reports significantly greater sales compared with previous tournaments and orders for May up 165 per cent on 2005. "Wear your international, cosmopolitan credentials across your chest and at the same time avoid being mistaken for a xenophobic racist, the like of which have been known to follow their national teams," is the advice of Mark Perryman, founder of Philosophy Football.
The popularity of an alternative take is not restricted to England. Toffs' total market is only 45 per cent domestic. The company boasts sales of Brazil shirts to Brazil and in Germany itself a Philosophy Football top - celebrating the success of this year's hosts in the 1954 final against Hungary with the slogan "Der Ball Ist Rund" - is a top seller. This follows the success of a shirt for the 2002 World Cup in Japan - Philosophy Football designer Hugh Tisdale boasts over 250 different compositions - that paid homage to the iconic film, Seven Samurai.
A preference for something other than official merchandise is a re-action to the commercialisation of football and the great growth of corporate culture in sport, according to Malcolm Clarke, chairman of the Football Supporters' Federation. "Those who go their own way are saying, 'yes, I might need a ticket but I definitely don't need the shirt,' which can be considered a rip-off [England shirts bought from the Football Association can cost £42.95]. Nor do they want to feel like an advertising hoarding carrying names of sponsors and shirt makers."
Another significant factor in the growth of demand for unofficial gear is sympathetic tailoring. Toffs claims to have pioneered XXL shirts (hand-made for an extra £10) to accommodate all comers. Philosophy Football's Perryman agrees that meeting the demand for every shape and size has been key to his own company's success. "Not all men look great wearing the tight-fitting modern football shirt," he acknowledges. "We are not competing with Adidas or Nike. Or Paul Smith and other labels up with the latest trend for that matter. We are more Billy Bragg than Arctic Monkeys."
Improved standards of production have ensured that companies like Toffs and Philosophy Football have satisfied contemporary expectations of quality. The latter uses ultra-weight cotton, while Toffs' replica retro range features upgraded materials and dyes that won't run, compared with the originals which would, according to Alan Finch, be blank shirts after three washes. Philosophy Football also claims ethical production values, distancing itself from the sweatshop controversies that dog sport brands.
Perhaps the clearest indication of the growing demand from football fans for a degree of separation from the main pack, however, is the fact that Umbro, official supplier to the English Football Association, has developed a range of England classic kits from past World Cups.
Whatever the outcome of the World Cup, new designs to mark the month's most notable occurrences will be a priority for the independents. Should England triumph, commemorative offerings are in the pipeline. Needless to say, Philosophy Football's Tisdale stresses that, even if England win the World Cup, slogans will be measured, in the spirit of free-minded thinkers like Mikhail Bakunin, whose currently available No 9 centre forward's shirt bears a message stressing the need for both socialism and justice.