The Football Association and Nike are facing increasing pressure to withdraw Englandtheir controversial new shirt before its debut against Brazil.
Gareth Southgate’s team will play on the Wembley field in front of 90,000 fans for a prestigious friendly, wearing a kit that has caused outrage among former players, fans and even politicians.
The controversy revolves around the American apparel giant’s choice to modify the color of the St George’s cross printed on the collar of the home shirt.
Instead of using the traditional red on a white background, the cross is made up of red, purple and blue on a navy background in what Nike initially described as a ‘playful update’ meant to ‘unite and inspire’.
Amid increasing criticism, Nike issued a statement on Thursday stating they would not recall the shirt while highlighting that the redesigned flag design was inspired by the training kit worn by England’s 1966 World Cup legends.
A Nike spokesperson said: ‘The England 2024 Home kit disrupts history with a modern take on a classic.
‘The trim on the cuffs is inspired by the training gear worn by England’s 1966 heroes, with a gradient of blues and reds topped with purple. The same colors also feature an interpretation of the flag of St. George on the back of the collar.’
That explanation has not satisfied an increasing number of critics, including former England midfielder Joey Barton who noticed the color scheme on the new jersey resembled that of the Genderfluid Pride flag.
‘Attempting to sneak that Woke, Gay communist nonsense onto the England national team jersey,’ he wrote on X.
‘Nothing ‘playful’ about it. Another move in their attempted ‘Coup d’état’ of the men’s game. Leave our flag and our game alone.’
Rishi Sunak, meanwhile, intervened in the debate on Friday and urged Nike ‘not to mess’ with one of the symbols of the England football team.
He said: ‘Obviously, I prefer the original and my general view is when it comes to our national flags we shouldn’t tamper with them because they are a source of pride, identity, who we are and they are perfect as we are.’
The prime minister was echoing the sentiments of Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer who urged those responsible to return to a more traditional design.
He told The Sun: ‘I’m a big soccer fan, I attend England games, men and women’s games, and the flag is used by everybody. It is a unifier. It doesn’t need to be changed. We just need to be proud of it.
‘So, I think they should just reconsider this and change it back. I’m not even sure they can properly explain why they thought they needed to change it in the first place.’
