Cameroon national team in this rather unusual jersey appeared at the 2002 Africa Cup of Nations in Mali. The controversial tank top turned out to be lucky for them, as the Cameroonians reached for the trophy in the final, beating the Senegal national team after a series of penalty kicks.

Cameroon intended to use the innovative shirts also at the World Cups in Korea and Japan, but this idea was categorically opposed by FIFA. Cameroonians banned from wearing tank tops due to the lack of space for the "FIFA World Cup" patch, which was on the sleeves of the shirts of all World Cup participants.

The manufacturer Puma solved the above problem by sewing black sleeves made of mesh material. Only such a n upgrade gave Cameroon the green light to use jerseys at the World Cup.