Outrage in the UK over the new England national team shirt design

The new England national team shirt that caused a stir in the United Kingdom (@England)

The England team is preparing two first-class friendlies against Brazil (3/23) and Belgium (3/26) that will serve as a warm-up for the main objective of those led by Gareth Southgate, the Euro 2024 in Germany. However, the tranquility in the United Kingdom was disturbed by a particular detail in the new uniforms that the women’s and men’s soccer teams will wear.

After the presentation of the shirts last Monday, English fans exploded against the Nike brand for the design chosen to represent the Cross of Saint George, in which the historic symbol of the flag of England is seen on the back of the neck. with different colors to the original red.

“Sleeve cutout inspired by past legends. Bold purple updates to classic reds and blues.Modern interpretation of the St. George flag on the back collar,” the American-rooted clothing brand posted when introducing the new designs. Regarding the change in the English insignia, Nike added that the “fun update” was made with the intention of “uniting and inspiring,” given that it uses a range of purple, blue and pink colors.

Negative comments from Three Lions fans were immediate and they criticized the uniform updates on social media. “Shameful. The Cross of St George is the sacred icon of the English nation and people. Why have we allowed Nike, an American brand that produces these t-shirts, to desecrate our national flag? “Why is England so ashamed of itself that it doesn’t get into an uproar about this?” wrote one of the outraged users on It’s going to be fine! What a strange thing to do! An American company making a blatant play on another country’s flag, let’s go back to Umbro, I mean, we won the World Cup in that uniform….”

The cross of Saint George, with different colors, on the back collar of the new England national team shirt (@England)

In addition to the fierce criticism from Internet users, the disenchantment escalated to other strata and the Conservative MP Brendan Clarke Smith expressed himself on the matter. “I’m not sure what this is supposed to be, but it certainly doesn’t look anything like our flag and I’m not sure it needs an update either,” the politician said in statements reported by the Daily Mail newspaper. His colleague Nigel Farage noted : “It’s an absolute joke. It is a multicolored cross, it has no relation to the Cross of Saint George.”

In the British media, the issue made headlines and some presenters called for the new jerseys to be withdrawn from the market, something that neither Nike nor the English Football Association (FA) will allow. “The England 2024 home shirt revolutionizes history with a modern version of a classic. The trim on the cuffs is inspired by the training kit worn by the 1966 heroes, with a gradient of blues and reds finished with purple. The same colors also feature an interpretation of the St. George flag on the back of the neck,” said a company spokesperson in statements published by Daily Mail.

The same medium assured that the FA approved the design presented by Nike and that it strongly supports the English national team’s uniform. “The kit was agreed upon and entered the production cycle two years ago. Even if there was a desire to change the Cross of St. George, industry experts say that it would take between six and nine months to create and distribute a new kit,” they contribute from England and confirm that it is very unlikely that new ones will be manufactured. exclusive t-shirts for the players, given the large volume of sales that have already been made.

The statement that Nike released about the update

TalkSport and Mail journalist Simon Jordan also expressed his complaint: “I don’t really understand why he wants to play with our identity. Is our national identity a joke, is it something we are ashamed of? I think our national identity is something we should be proud of. “I don’t find it offensive, but unnecessary.”

The Telegraph newspaper dealt with the controversy generated by this new shirt – which costs around 125 pounds in England – and stated that the issue “has caused outrage among traditionalists.” At the same time, the Daily Express cited MP Lee Anderson as one of the leaders of criticism against the new version, while highlighting the praise offered by national team stars Phil Foden, Bukayo Saka and Declan Rice.

THE NEW ENGLAND SHIRT THAT STARTED THE CONTROVERSY

2024-03-21 17:41:48
#Controversy #England #soccer #team #shirt #criticism #update #flag