Kasabian Unveil England World Cup Away Kit in Paris

In a break with tradition, the new England away shirt for the 2010 Football World Cup was launched last night (Feb. 9) not by an England player but by Kasabian singer Tom Meighan (pictured) in -- of all places -- Paris.

The singer took to the stage at the Olympia Theatre for an an encore of 'Fire' wearing the new Umbro strip. Perhaps confident of the England team's chances in South Africa this summer, the red away strip is based on the World Cup-winning 1966 away design with the added extra of white cuffs.

Speaking to NME, Meighan expressed his delight at being the first person to model the new strip.

He said: "I'm the first person to wear it which is crazy. They said they wanted to take it away from the footballers for once and do something up to date. They wanted to combine with rock 'n' roll. They're two powerful things ... I'm honoured to wear it."

He continued, "This is how football shirts should be made: tailored. It's really unique, I think [team manager] Fabio Capello had a say in it ... personally it's very strange to wear it before Wayne Rooney or Stevie Gerrard!"

Umbro spokesperson Trevor Cairns explained that the label had chosen Kasabian for the honour because the band, "like England, represented the nation abroad."