Getting shirty Why England's new football kit is making the nation so cross
The Guardian|March 23, 2024
On Monday it was just another piece of merchandise, by yesterday it was a topic of national debate.
Getting shirty Why England's new football kit is making the nation so cross

Everyone from the prime minister to a king (of the jungle) had their say on the controversial artefact; one that seemed to provoke reactions which conformed to people's preexisting views. It was the magic eye of England kits, the most divisive in history, and by all accounts it's been flying off the shelves.

Five days after Nike posted a string of tweets in which it announced a "playful update" to the flag of St George on the back of England's new home kit, the men's national team coach was dragged into the debate.

Gareth Southgate was asked yesterday whether he had a problem with the collar of his team's shirt bearing a version of the St George's cross that was a mixture of red, blue and purple.

The England manager seemed nonplussed. "The most important thing on the England shirt is the Three Lions, really. That is the thing that is iconic, that differentiates us even from the England rugby team or the England cricket team," he said. "People don't think we should change the flag of St George... but if it's changed then it isn't the flag of St George. So I'm a little bit lost with that element of it."

This story is from the March 23, 2024 edition of The Guardian.

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This story is from the March 23, 2024 edition of The Guardian.

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