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Jake Brigstock
Mar 23, 2024
'It's a MESS!' Jason Cundy rages at FA's handling of England shirt …
GB News Videos / VideoElephant
England's new home kit by Nike has been at the centre of controversy with the colour of the St George's cross being 'playfully updated' on the back of the collar - but a football writer says the 'bigger scandal' is the price of it.
The new home shirt is in the traditional white with a blue trim down the side and around the collar, which is where the colour of St George's cross has been changed from red to various shades of blue, pink and purple.
It sparked a huge backlash, with Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, Leader of the Opposition Sir Keir Starmer and loads of others on social media saying the shirt should be pulled and the colour of the cross not changed.
But it's not the first time England kits have had different colour crosses on it, with kits by renowned designer Peter Saville featuring a number of different colour crosses - he even said he would paint it in a 'million different colours' if he could.
And football writer Henry Winter says the problem isn't with the colour of the cross but the price tag.
Nike\u2019s aim is to make waves and make money and they\u2019ve done that successfully with \u201cplayful\u201d desecration of the Cross of St George on the home shirt. That\u2019s what Nike do. @FA far guiltier. They should have principles. They\u2019re supposed to respect England. But they didn\u2019t consult\u2026— (@)
There are two different kinds of home kit for sale on the Nike website - 'authentic', which the players themselves wear, and 'stadium', typically worn by fans.
The price of an 'authentic' adult England shirt is £124.99 and £84.99 for a 'stadium' version.
And the kids version of the 'authentic' shirt is £119.99 and £64.99 for 'stadium'.
He blasted those prices as 'greed' saying that's where the 'bigger scandal' lies.
Tweets replying to Henry were mostly supportive of him.
@henrywinter @FA People saying that it is just a flag, not a big deal is missing the point. It may just be a flag for you, for others it may not be the case (Its just a football crest, shirt colours, football team, see what happened?)\n\nFA should have consulted fans & stakeholders first, take\u2026— (@)
@henrywinter @FA Focus on the price point then rather than a different coloured flag on the collar.— (@)
A spokesperson for Nike said: "We offer various styles of football jerseys, giving consumers more options to choose from.
"Styles at higher price points typically feature significantly more innovation, fit, and material updates, while lower-priced styles may include an adapted version of that same innovation and/or other fit and material differences."
The FA has spoken out against the backlash of the colour of the cross and the kit was worn as planned in the 1-0 loss to Brazil in a friendly on March 23.
A spokesperson 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.
"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."
The new home shirt has already been seen in action on March 22 as England's U21s won 5-1 at Azerbaijan against their U21 side in a Euros qualifier, and in England U18s penalty shootout win against Germany U18s in the Pinatar Super Cup.
The FA has been contacted for further comment.
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