Jess Battison
The Football Association (FA) has responded to fan outrage over the redesigned flag on new England shirts.
Earlier this week, photos of the new international kits were released with the likes of Bukayo Saka and Lauren James showing off the new colours ahead of Euro 2024.
But it wasn't just the shirts themselves sporting a new shade. The kit manufacturer, Nike, had altered the St George's Cross.
Featuring a 'playful update' the brand has include purple and blue horizontal stripes - and it's led to absolute uproar.
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Prime Minister Rishi Sunak even said he 'prefers the original', adding: "My general view is that when it comes to our national flags, we shouldn’t mess with them.
“Because they are a source of pride, identity, who we are, and they’re perfect as they are.”
And Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer also called on Nike to reconsider the design, as he told the Sun he felt the 'flag is used by everybody, it is a unifier, it doesn't need to be changed'.
"We just need to be proud of it," he said. "So I think they should just reconsider this and change it back.
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"I'm not even sure they properly can explain why they thought they needed to change in the first place."
In response to to the outrage, the FA said it was 'very proud' of the red and white St George’s Cross but gave its support to the new design.
“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,” a spokesperson said.
“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.
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“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 tomorrow – as it always is – when England play Brazil.”
And while people are kicking off about this slight design change for the new shirt, Martin Lewis reckons there's a bigger issue: the price.
Initially, the Money Saving Expert shared a poll to see what people thought of the cross, with 'ditch it' and 'who cares' as the options.
He then later added to X: "PS never mind the fact the new English football kits shirts cost £125 (£85 for the lesser 'stadium version') amidst a cost of living crisis!"