British politicians rip Nike for 'pearl-clutching woke nonsense' after change to England's soccer jerseys
British politicians are ripping Nike’s "modern twist" to England’s 2024 national soccer team uniforms, calling them "woke" after they were unveiled this week.
The team’s "kit" is turning heads and leading to an uproar on social media, particularly when it comes to the St. George’s Cross, which normally is a red cross with a white background.
Nike decided to put a "playful twist" on the cross, which is featured on the uniform’s collar.
Instead of the normal design, a red vertical stripe is intersected by a stripe featuring black, blue and purple.
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England's Harry Kane during a UEFA Nations League match against Italy Sept. 23, 2022, at the San Siro stadium in Milan, Italy. (Fabio Fagiolini/LiveMedia/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
"A playful update to the [cross emoji] of St. George appears on the collar to unite and inspire," Nike tweeted March 18.
The Daily Express had several politicians comment on the jerseys, which will be worn during the European Football Championship starting in June.
"This virtue signaling, namby-pamby, pearl-clutching woke nonsense must stop," Reform UK AP Lee Anderson said. "Any more of this and I’ll be on the first flight to Rwanda."
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Conservative MP Brendan Clarke-Smith added, "Maybe somebody in the design department misheard Three Lions and instead went for three lines on a shirt.
"I’m not sure what this is supposed to be, but it certainly looks nothing like our flag, and I’m not sure it needs an ‘update’ either. That said, I doubt they’ll shift many at those sort of prices."
England's Harry Maguire during a UEFA Nations League match against Italy Sept. 23, 2022, at the San Siro stadium in Milan, Italy. (Fabio Fagiolini/LiveMedia/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
While the home jerseys for England have the usual white base with the Three Lions emblem on the chest and accompanying blue shorts with red and white trim, the road jerseys are considered purple with "graphic side panels" that "pay homage to forward-thinking fashionistas."
The panel features different colors, including red, gold, purple, teal and black.
"If the England football team thinks that’s acceptable, why on Earth would you be apologetic about Englishness if you’re going to play for England in the European football finals," Nigel Farage, a former British politician who serves as a broadcaster for GB News, said. "It’s an absolute joke."
England’s Marcus Rashford was featured in a video reviewing the jerseys, which feature Nike’s Dri-Fit ADV material.
The logo on an England national socceer team jersey for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. (Franck Fife/AFP via Getty Images)
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"A shirt can be beautiful, but at the end of the day, it’s the results on the pitch that make the kit," he said.
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