Mary Earps fires back at Nike over goalkeeper shirt row

Mary Earps has hit out at Nike once again over the manufacturer’s stance on her England goalkeeper shirt.

One of the biggest talking points away from the pitch for the Lionesses this summer was Nike’s failure to make the goalkeeper kit available for public purchase.

Earps saved a penalty during the World Cup final on Sunday and won the Golden Glove for the tournament, proving one of the success stories at the tournament despite England coming up short - and confirming her status as a national treasure in the process.

Nike addresses the criticism in a statement over the weekend, saying it was working on "solutions for future tournaments" but not going as far as apologising.

A Nike spokesperson said: "Nike is committed to women's football and we're excited by the passion around this year's tournament and the incredible win by the Lionesses to make it into the final.

Catherine Ivill/Getty Images

"We are proudly offering the best of Nike innovation and services to our federation partners and hundreds of athletes. We hear and understand the desire for a retail version of a goalkeeper jersey and we are working towards solutions for future tournaments, in partnership with Fifa and the federations.

"The fact that there's a conversation on this topic is testament to the continued passion and energy around the women's game and we believe that's encouraging."

Now, Earps has hit back at Nike.

Taking to Instagram, the keeper posted a picture of the statement from Nike on her story, with her own message which read: "@Nike is this your version of an apology/taking accountability/a powerful statement of intent?"

The 30-year-old also posted a link to a petition calling for Nike to make the kit available and supporting female keepers around the world. At the time of writing, the petition has raised more than 130,000 signatures.

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