GARETH Southgate said he was baffled by England’s woke new shirt last night after it was red-carded by footie greats and fans.
FA bosses signed off on a Nike redesign of the nation’s red and white St George’s cross on the collar — adding purple and blue horizontal stripes.
But coach Southgate — who will lead the Three Lions at Euro 2024 in Germany in June — declared: “If it’s not white with a red cross, it’s not the St George’s flag.”
As politicians also cried foul over the revamp — believed to have been prompted by political correctness — he added: “I am a huge patriot. I believe we should celebrate St George’s Day more than we do.
“People don’t think we should change the flag of St George.
“If it’s changed then it isn’t the flag of St George. So I’m a little bit lost with that element of it.
READ MORE ON THE FLAG ROW
“I think they can put a quirky design together but you can’t say it’s the flag of St George because it isn’t. It’s therefore something else.”
Sportswear giant Nike released a statement saying: “We have been a proud partner of the FA since 2012 and understand the significance and importance of the St George’s Cross and it was never our intention to offend, given what it means to England fans.
“Together with the FA, the intention was to celebrate the heroes of 1966 and their achievements.
“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.
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“The same colours also feature an interpretation of the flag on the back of the collar.”
‘The worst ever’
But former Prem manager Harry Redknapp branded the decision “an absolute disgrace” yesterday.
Redknapp, 77, said: “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 flag?”
Former Arsenal and England goalie David Seaman, 60, who won 75 caps, said: “Leave it alone. It doesn’t need fixing. What’s next, are they going to change the Three Lions to three cats?
“It’s the St George’s flag. I’m sure that if they’d approached the lads and asked them about it, they would have said no.”
Peter Shilton, England’s most capped player with 125 appearances in goal, also hit out at both the design and the extortionate price of the shirts released ahead of Euro 2024 in Germany. An “authentic” player quality top is £124.99 for adults and £119.99 for juniors, with a “stadium” version £84.99 and £64.99 for children.
Shilton, 74, said: “I am totally against it. Now they are messing with the colours on a national flag and, you know, where would it stop once it starts?
I’ve seen plenty of own goals but this must be worst
Harry Redknapp
“Is the next shirt going to have more changes in the colour?
“The cost of the shirts now is getting extortionate. I think the fans are getting ripped off.”
A spokesman for the FA said: “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. 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.”
But fans yesterday shared pictures online of the ’66 training gear bearing no resemblance.
The redesign is widely believed to have been prompted by PC concerns about the flag’s history and its link to far right groups.
The red cross on a white background was the emblem carried by English crusaders and is viewed as offensive to some Muslims.
Sir Keir Starmer sparked the furore on The Sun’s Never Mind The Ballots show on Thursday when he urged Nike to restore the traditional red cross. The Labour leader, who also called for a price cut, told The Sun: “I’m a big football fan. I go to 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.”
National identity
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak is also not a fan of the new kit.
He said: “Obviously, I prefer the original and my general view is that when it comes to our national flags, we shouldn’t mess with them. Because they are a source of pride, identity, who we are, and they’re perfect as they are.”
England fans took to social media yesterday urging a Save Our Shirt petition while others called for a boycott of Nike products.
Christopher Hope said on X, formerly Twitter: “How would Nike’s lawyers react if football fans did a “playful” update of its swoosh logo without consulting them first?”
I’m totally against this messing with national flag
Peter Shilton
Former FA managing director Adrian Bevington said he would not have signed off the shirt design.
He told TalkSPORT: “When the games take place, particularly during the tournament, you’ll see the stadium absolutely swamped with the cross of St George hanging everywhere.
“It’s a national identity and I just don’t really think it needs to be changed. It’s going to upset a lot of people because people do feel passionate about this.”
US-based Nike became the first foreign company to land the contract to supply the England team’s kit in 2013.
St George’s flag snobbery
But it has recently become embroiled in culture wars.
Last year, Nike bosses doubled down on their controversial decision to use transgender influencer Dylan Mulvaney to promote the company’s female clothing.
Labour MP Emily Thornberry was ridiculed yesterday after she waded into the row — having been forced to quit front bench politics over claims of St George’s flag snobbery in 2014.
Ms Thornberry — slated over a sarcastic message about a house draped in the English banner – said of the new shirt on GB News yesterday: “Why can’t they just leave it alone?”
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Presenter Stephen Dixon chipped in: “To be fair, you’re not a particular fan of the Saint George’s Cross, are you?
“You took the mickey out of someone flying the England flag and you had to resign as a result of it.”
WON’T WEAR IT, HARVEY?
ENGLAND under-21 star Harvey Elliott appears to snub the shirt’s new flag design — by turning up his collar.
It was the the first time the kit had been worn in a Three Lions game.
The 20-year-old midfielder, who plays for Liverpool, scored twice in England’s 5-1 win over Azerbaijan in a Euro under-21 qualifier in Baku.
But the flag on his top remained obscured throughout the game. Elliott declined to say if he had staged a deliberate protest but has previously worn his collar down during games.
It came as sportswear giant Nike claimed the controversial flag design was a tribute to England’s World Cup-winning heroes of 1966.
Their training gear had a gradient of blues and reds on the collars and cuffs.
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Nick Parker
