‘GUTLESS!’ Nigel Farage blasts footballers - ‘should have intervened’ in Nike St George's cross row

‘GUTLESS!’ Nigel Farage blasts footballers - ‘should have intervened’ in Nike St George's cross row

‘It is GUTLESS!’ Nigel Farage clams footballers ‘should have intervened’ over Nike row

GB News
Gabrielle Wilde

By Gabrielle Wilde


Published: 26/03/2024

- 10:18

Updated: 26/03/2024

- 11:28

England's players all wore their collars down and displayed the controversial St George's Cross in their friendly game against Brazil

Nigel Farage has slammed "senior football players" for not "intervening" in the Nike St George's cross row as the brand changed the colour of the English emblem.

Last week, NIke made headlines after it revealed it had altered the St George's cross on football shirts using purple and blue horizontal stripes.


The sporting giant called it a “playful update” to the shirt ahead of Euro 2024 and said the colours were inspired by the training kit worn by England’s 1966 World Cup winners.

It received harsh criticism from across political parties. Keir Starmer and the Prime Minister condemned the change.

Sunak said: "When it comes to our national flags, we shouldn't mess with them because they're a source of pride, identity, who we are, and they're perfect as they are."

Patrick Christys, Nigel Farage

Nigel Farage slammed it as a "gutless" move

GB News

Liverpool star Harvey Elliott appears to have hidden the controversial flag on England's new kit by playing with his collar turned up, but so far no footballers have spoken out on the row.

Speaking on GB News, host Patrick Christys asked Nigel: "Not one of the senior players decided to protest this design, when England faced Brazil and got beaten at Wembley this weekend.

"Should England's senior football stars be making a bit of a stand over this?"

Premier League footballA woman has claimed the footballer plays in the Premier LeaguePA

Nigel said: "They're footballers, not politicians and they're conscious of that. They know that they're also earning a fortune.

"But frankly, I think given that the crowd themselves made their own cross of St George, which was a very beautiful image, I think our top footballers on this one, should have intervened and they didn't.

"It's a bit gutless."

Nike England kitNike changed the colours of the St George's crossX/Nike

Fans and commentators have reacted angrily since the release of the kit that England will wear at Euro 2024 this summer branding it ‘woke.’.

Nike will not alter the jersey, which they claim is a nod to England’s 1966 training gear and is said to have ‘flown off the shelves’ since its release last Monday.

In a statement the FA said on Friday: "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. 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. 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."

England's new kit was unveiled on Monday

England's new kit was unveiled on Monday last week

NIKE

The Labour leader Keir Starmer has also argued that the kit should be changed back.

He said: "I think it was wrong. "As you know, I'm a big football fan. I go to England games - men's and women's games - and 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 - so, I think they should just reconsider this and change it back."

A description of the new kit from Nike read: "The England 2024 home kit disrupts history with a modern take on a classic. The trim on the cuffs takes its cues from the training gear worn by England's 1966 heroes, with a gradient of blues and reds topped with purple.

"The same colours also feature an interpretation of the flag of St George on the back of the collar."

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