On Monday 18 March Nike presented the new shirts that the players of the England men’s national football team will wear during the European championships, scheduled for next summer in Germany. Since then, fans, former players and above all some politicians have focused on a detail which, in their opinion, is not negligible, that is, the new colors chosen for the St. George’s cross, the symbol on the English flag: on the back of the collar of the new shirt the St. George’s cross Giorgio is not red on a white field, as per tradition, but with blue, light blue and purple inserts in addition to the classic red. Despite the size of the detail, the modification caused a great outcry, and in a few days a national debate was born, almost an affair of state.
Nike explained that the new colors constitute a “playful update” inspired by the uniform that the England players used during training in the 1966 World Cup, which the English won. The change was authorized by the Football Association (FA), the English football federation, which in recent days has defended the new colors of the St George’s cross and confirmed that the shirts will be regularly worn in the friendly scheduled for Saturday evening, against Brazil, at Wembley Stadium in London.
The federation’s stance was necessary after politicians and television commentators had for days criticized the choice of the new colors – deemed an insult to the traditional flag – and asked for the withdrawal and modification of the t-shirts, which in the meantime were already on sale.
Even Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, speaking to journalists, said he preferred the original St George’s Cross. «We should not joke with our national flags because they are a source of pride and identity. They are perfect just the way they are,” Sunak said. Even the British government’s culture minister, Lucy Frazer, criticized the choice of Nike and the federation. Referring to criticism shared on social networks in recent days, Frazer said the fans’ opinion should always come first.
‘When it comes to our national flags we shouldn’t mess with them because they are a source of pride, identity, who we are.’
PM Sunak says he “prefers the original” England shirt, after Nike amended the colours of the St George’s Cross to a multicoloured design for the new kit. pic.twitter.com/1caGcd6AxJ
— Sky News (@SkyNews) March 22, 2024
The criticism didn’t just come from the majority. Keir Starmer, the Labor leader, also told the Sun that the flag of England does not need to be changed. Several newspapers and television programs interviewed former national team players, almost all of whom were against the new colours, considered a commercial drift to the detriment of tradition.
England manager Gareth Southgate tried to avoid controversy by shifting attention to another symbol of the national team, the three lions. The most important thing, said Southgate, is that the three lions are on the shirt, which are the true icon of the national team, the thing that really distinguishes the team. But he then added that he was not creative enough to understand the new artistic interpretation of the St. George cross.
– Read also: A Germany without Adidas will be strange
2024-03-23 17:24:38
#England #great #debate #small #colored #cross
