ENGLAND’S new shirt and its “woke” cross will NOT be recalled by the FA – despite a massive backlash.
Legends and fans alike slammed the new kit, which has St George’s Cross made up with purple and blue horizontal stripes.
Nike revealed it had altered the cross in what it called a “playful update” to the shirt ahead of Euro 2024.
The US firm said the colours were inspired by the training kit worn by England‘s 1966 World Cup winners.
Some football pundits and fans criticised the design and price of the shirt since it was launched earlier this week.
The FA told The Times: “The new England 2024 Home kit has a number of design elements which were meant as a tribute to the 1966 World Cup winning team.
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“The coloured trim on the cuffs is inspired by the training gear worn by England’s 1966 heroes, and the same colours also feature on the design on the back of the collar.
“It is not the first time that different coloured St George’s cross-inspired designs have been used on England shirts.
“We are very proud of the red and white St George’s cross – the England flag.
“We understand what it means to our fans, and how it unites and inspires, and it will be displayed prominently at Wembley tomorrow – as it always is – when England play Brazil.”
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Earlier today footie legends like Harry Redknapp, Peter Shilton and David Seaman weighed in on the saga.
Redknapp this morning blasted the decision as “an absolute disgrace”.
He slammed: “I’ve seen plenty of own goals in my time, but this has to be the worst ever.
“Who on earth thought this was a good idea? It’s the cross of St George, red and white…would Nike do this with another country’s national flag?
“It’s something that should be respected, not changed for a bit of playful fun, as they put it.
“In my book it’s an absolute disgrace – I hope they see sense and have a rethink.”
Former England goalkeeper Shilton also has his say – announcing he was “totally against” the new shirt.
He told GB News: “I am totally against it, which I don’t think is a surprise. I mean I am a traditionalist, really.
“I think we have seen a lot of design changes on shirts and that’s to get the fans to buy the new shirt every time it changes.
“But now they are messing with the colours on a national flag and you know, where would it stop once it starts?
“Is the next shirt going to have more changes in the colour? So I am against it, I think it is wrong.
Colin Robertson says… shame on them
BY Colin Robertson
So that’s it then?
We’re now supposed to be ashamed of our national flag for the one event pretty much everyone could agree on its use?
American firm Nike’s decision to respin our simple flag on the new England kit into some sort of patriotically fluid symbol is the epitome of culture war vandalism.
Tradition and history don’t play well for greedy corporate firms.
They like meaningless b*ks that “represents everyone” and offends no-one.
Some millennial wazzock with a PhD in Wokeism will have doubtless pointed out five reasons why the St George’s Cross is just a vulgar symbol of oppression.
Far better to slowly eradicate it and create something new and meaningless and then pretend it’s progress.
And hey, their corporate customers, usually paranoid of giving offence, will thank them for it.
Just like the FA, stuck in its own woke groove, has done. Shame on them. Because the idea that this bastardisation is, as Nike has claimed, just a “playful update to the flag of St George…to unite and inspire” is utter cobblers and borderline offensive.
What is more uniting than following the national football team while proudly wearing the flag of your country?
We don’t want or need a new flag, playful or otherwise, to represent England. We have one already St George’s Cross?
He’d be f***ing furious.
“It is only a small change, but I think it could be the start of more changes.
“That’s the way I look on it, once you start changing the colour. I mean the Three Lions is obviously traditional and the fans love that.
“I am very surprised to be fair that the FA agreed to this but it’s all about money and making money and if the shirt sponsor says look ‘we’d like to do this’ then sometimes you get maybe members at the FA who think, ‘Oh well, we are getting paid well for it.’ ‘You know, we won’t bother’.
“But I think it is a precedent that we don’t want, you know, other things to suddenly change on the next England shirt, and you know maybe, you know a pink band going round the middle of the shirt – I mean you don’t know do you what they are going to change.”
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has also slammed the new kit.
Meanwhile former England goalie Seaman, who played 75 times for his country, said “leave it alone”.
He said: “It doesn’t need fixing. What’s next, are they going to change the Three Lions to three cats? Leave it alone.
“It’s the St George’s Flag. Leave it alone. I’m sure that if they’d approached the lads and asked them about it, they would have said no. Just leave it alone.”
It’s almost like trying to erase how things have been in the past and I don’t think it’s appropriate in this case.
Brian Deane
Brian Deane, who played as a forward from 1985 until 2006, branded the kit “ridiculous”.
He told The Sun: “Some people would say it’s just a small detail, but personally I think there are some things that should just be kept as they are.
“Sometimes when you try and make advances and develop it doesn’t always suit everybody, and certainly from the point of view of someone like myself who has played for England, the St George’s Cross has always been red, and many people of an older generation will take offence to that. I can understand why.
“I don’t see why there is a need to change it. It’s almost like trying to erase how things have been in the past and I don’t think it’s appropriate in this case.
“It’s very symbolic to a lot of people in this country and for whatever reason, branding or fashion, I don’t think it’s relevant and I think they’ve scored an own goal to be honest.
“It’s just something that people will feel as though they’re rights are eroded away and it’s quite inflammatory as you can see from the backlash.”
It comes after Sir Keir Starmer called on Nike to change the colour back to the traditional red.
A Nike spokesperson told The Mail,: “The England 2024 Home kit disrupts history with a modern take on a classic.
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“The trim on the cuffs takes its cues from the training gear worn by England’s 1966 heroes, with a gradient of blues and reds topped with purple.
“The same colours also feature an interpretation of the flag of St. George on the back of the collar.”
England shirt change controversy
The latest Three Lions strip came under heavy fire after a sudden change.
The Three Lions’ strips were unveiled on Monday with the traditional red cross altered to one with navy, light blue and purple.
But Nike and the FA have “no plans” to recall the new England home kit amid a row over its altered St George’s flag.
Both the home and away kits were released earlier this week, with England set to debut them during the upcoming March internationals.
It is thought to be a nod to the 1966 World Cup winners’ training kit – which contained blue, red and purple.
The change led to some labelling the shirt “woke” as they called on the manufacturer to revert back to the usual colours.
But according to The Mail, Nike will not succumb to pressure from some England fans.
It is thought to be a nod to the 1966 World Cup winners’ training kit – which contained blue, red and purple.
The change led to some labelling the shirt “woke” as they called on the manufacturer to revert back to the usual colours.
But according to The Mail, Nike will not succumb to pressure from some England fans.
It is understood the flag alteration was the work of a Nike designer, but was also signed off by the FA.
And the FA insist the decision was made to “honour the classic colour regime of 1966 training gear”.
New kit releases are one of the highlights in the build-up to a summer tournament, but England fans have also been left frustrated by the cost of the Three Lions’ new jerseys.
England’s “authentic” home and away shirts for the European Championships have been priced at £124.99 for adults and a whopping £119.99 for children.
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Jane Matthews
