âPlayful updateâ to national debate: England kit has begun a culture war | EnglandOn Monday it was just another piece of merchandise, by Friday it was a topic of national debate. Everyone from the prime minister to a King (of the Jungle) had their say on the controversial artefact, one which, miraculously, seemed to provoke reactions that conformed to peopleâs pre-existing views. It was the magic eye of England kits, the most divisive in history, and by all accounts itâs been flying off the shelves. Five days after the sportswear giant Nike posted a string of tweets in which it announced a âplayful updateâ to the flag of St George on the back of Englandâs new home kit, the menâs national team coach was dragged into the debate. Gareth Southgate was asked on Friday whether he had a problem with the collar of his teamâs shirt bearing a version of the St Georgeâs Cross that was not red, but a mixture of red, blue and purple. The England manager seemed nonplussed by the whole affair. âThe 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,â he said. âPeople donât think we should change the flag of St George ⦠but if itâs changed then it isnât the flag of St George! So Iâm a little bit lost with that element of it.â Itâs not the first time in recent years that Southgate has been expected to engage on topics broader than whether Harry Maguire had done enough to keep his place in the squad. He has been asked about Brexit, the culture of social media and labour rights in the Gulf, among other things. His stand, in 2021, in defending the right of Englandâs players to protest against racial discrimination made him a target for figures such as the then-Conservative MP Lee Anderson. Sure enough, Anderson has been merrily airing his thoughts on the small purple flag too. Anderson claims he canât wear the new England shirt because it is âwokeâ. The new design, he says, is exactly the sort of ânamby-pamby, pearl-clutching, hand-wringing nonsenseâ that leads him to fulminate on GB News for £100,000 a year. Where Anderson led, far-right culture warriors such as Nigel Farage and Joey Barton followed. Harry Redknapp, the former Tottenham manager and winner of Iâm a Celebrity, called the shirt âan absolute disgraceâ. Then, on Thursday night, during an internet broadcast by the Sun newspaper, the leader of the opposition chipped in. Sir Keir Starmer observed that the St Georgeâs flag âdoesnât need to be changed ⦠we need to be proud of it. So I think they should just reconsider this and change it back.â Better late than never, Rishi Sunak shared his tuppence worth on Friday, calling national flags âa source of pride and identityâ and âperfect as they areâ. As culture war skirmishes go, this one seems pretty standard, right down to the strong sense that much of it is confected. While critics of the purple flag have suggested both a disrespect of national traditions and a conspiracy to promote progressive causes, the FA insists the idea â conceived more than two years ago â was to pay oblique tribute to the most uncontroversial of national figures, Englandâs World Cup-winning squad of 1966. âThe coloured trim on the cuffs is inspired by the training gear worn by Englandâs 1966 heroes, and the same colours also feature on the design on the back of the collar,â an FA spokesperson said on Friday. âWe are very proud of the red and white St Georgeâs Cross â 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 tomorrow â as it always is â when England play Brazil.â Nike later apologised in a statement: âWe have been a proud partner of the FA since 2012 and understand the significance and importance of the St Georgeâs Cross. It was never our intention to offend, given what it means to England fans.â This is not the first time an England shirt has featured an adapted St Georgeâs Cross and there have been many shirts too where the cross has not featured at all. âIn 2010 Peter Savile did a kit he called âthe New Fabric of Englandâ and it had little small crosses, that were green and blue as well as red,â says Ed Cowburn, kit designer and founder of AcidFC. âI donât remember at the time anyone being particularly offended by it.â Cowburn observes that the past decade has seen the line between sportswear and fashion break down, with each new kit not only trying to continue tradition but set a trend. âYou are hoping that what you design is going to hit the fashion zeitgeist at that time,â he says. âOver the last few years, most of the big fashion brands have done their version of a football shirt, from Gucci to Balenciaga. You even got Kardashians wearing vintage Roma shirts.â The FA understands that the controversial shirt has proven a hit with shoppers, despite its detractors and, also, its price tag. Retailing at a minimum of £84.99 for adults, a top of the range kidsâ shirt is on sale for £119.99. Starmer said that Nike âcould reduce the price of the shirtsâ and on Friday the Football Supportersâ Association called for a âbest before dateâ to be added to kits to help out hard-pressed parents. âOur national supporters survey showed that 53% of fans felt kit prices were important to them,â a spokesperson said. âIn that context £124 for a kidsâ match top does feel expensive. We think itâs a good idea for suppliers to put a âsell byâ date on kits to make it clear to people how long itâll be before their team changes its kit.â Source link Posted: 2024-03-22 23:54:41 |
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