- By Jeremy Culley & Jacqueline Howard
- BBC News
21 March 2024
Updated 11 minutes ago
Image caption,
The new England shirt has what Nike calls a “playful update” to the St George’s Cross
Nike is not planning to recall or change a new England football shirt featuring different colours in the cross of St George.
Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer is among prominent voices calling on the company to change the design.
Nike says the shirt, launched ahead of Euro 2024, includes a “playful update” to the cross “to unite and inspire”.
But it has been criticised for featuring navy, light blue and purple in a flag on the back of the collar.
The US firm said the colours were inspired by the training kit worn by England’s 1966 World Cup winners.
Some football pundits, politicians and fans have criticised the shirt’s design and price after it launched earlier this week.
Going on sale on 21 March, the “authentic” version is priced at £124.99 for adults and £119.99 for children, while a “stadium” version costs £84.99 and £64.99 for children.
Image caption,
England captain Bobby Moore meeting the Queen in 1966 in the training kit
Image caption,
Bobby Charlton (left) among members of the World Cup winning squad
Sir Keir told The Sun that the “flag is used by everybody, it is a unifier, it doesn’t need to be changed”.
He said: “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 properly can explain why they thought they needed to change in the first place.”
The Labour leader also called on Nike to reduce the price of the shirts.
This is not the first time Nike has faced criticism over its sale of England shirts in recent months. During the Women’s World Cup last summer, the sportwear brand was forced to U-turn on its decision not to sell Mary Earps replica goalkeeper shirts, after public outcry.
At the time, the Lionesses star said she found it “hurtful” that fans could only buy outfield players’ shirts – and not hers.
It’s also not the first time a flag change on a national kit has been controversial. Designer Stella McCartney found herself on the receiving end of criticism after designing the English kits for the 2012 Olympics with a blue and white Union Jack.
The St George’s Cross is traditionally bright red on a white background.
Former England goalkeeper Peter Shilton told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme he does not agree with the changes, saying “I’m a traditionalist”.
Shilton, who played in the 1982, 1986 and 1990 World Cups and is the current record holder for most professional appearances, said the England football team represent the country, “and red white and blue are the colours that we have on our flag”.
However, England midfielder Declan Rice and Lionesses striker Alessia Russ both rated the new kit as 10 out of 10.
“This kit is a 10, a classic. It is proper retro; it feels like the 1966 kit,” Rice told England Football.
“I really like it. It is retro. I would give it ten out of 10,” said Russo.
Adrian Bevington, former managing director at the FA, said he personally would not have signed off on this kit.
He told BBC Radio 5 Live Breakfast there would have been a lengthy process before the final design was agreed.
“My instinct would’ve been to say no. Reading the public room at this moment, I personally wouldn’t have signed it off.
“The St George’s Cross that flies above Wembley is good enough for me.”
Image source, England / The FA
Image caption,
The home and away 2024 England kits
Ed Cowburn, who designs football kits for a living, told the Today programme that the colour purple on the kit seemed to be a nod back to the 1966 kit, which had a blue and red strip together.
“Obviously, that blue and red stripe together from a distance creates a bit of a purple,” he said.
He said that the St George’s Cross only became a regular feature of the England kit from the early 2000s.
“You could even argue that the kit itself this time is one of the most traditional we’ve had for about 20 years, because it has the navy shorts and three lions badge in very traditional colours.”
The FA revealed the new kits to be worn by England men’s, women’s and para teams in 2024 earlier in the week.
England’s men’s team are set to wear the new kits – with a purple away shirt launched at the same time as the white home one – for the first time during matches with Brazil and Belgium at Wembley on 23 and 26 March.
In a post on X on 18 MarchNike described the redesigned flag as “a playful update to the cross of St George” which “appears on the collar to unite and inspire”.
A Nike spokesperson told media outlets: “The England 2024 Home kit disrupts history with a modern take on a classic.
“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.”
Shadow Attorney-General Emily Thornberry described the new design as “a bit weird”.
“Imagine putting a bit of purple on the Irish tricolour,” she told BBC Breakfast. “Why are we messing around with it? I don’t understand.”
Former UKIP leader and Brexit campaigner Nigel Farage, speaking on GB News, said it was “an absolute joke” and that the new emblem “bears no relationship to the St George’s Cross whatsoever”.
The official England Store website describes the most expensive shirt as featuring an “authentic design with lightweight, quick-drying technology to help keep you cool and comfortable on the field”.
The £84.99 stadium shirt “pairs replica design details with sweat-wicking technology to give you a game-ready look inspired by your favourite team”.
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2024-03-22 10:22:08
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