‘Playful update’ to national debate: England kit has begun a culture war

On 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 people’s pre-existing 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 the sportswear giant 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 on Friday whether he had a problem with the collar of his team’s shirt bearing a version of the St George’s Cross that was not red, but a mixture of red, blue and purple. The England manager seemed nonplussed by the whole affair. “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.”

Related: FA defends multicoloured cross on England shirt as tribute to 1966 team

It’s 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 England’s 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 can’t wear the new England shirt because it is “woke”. The new design, he says, is exactly the sort of “namby-pamby, pearl-clutching, hand-wringing nonsense” 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 I’m a Celebrity, called the shirt “an absolute disgrace”.

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 George’s flag “doesn’t need to be changed … we need to be proud of it. So I think they should just reconsider this and change it back.” Better late than never, Rishi Sunak shared his tuppence worth on Friday, calling national flags “a source of pride and identity” and “perfect as they are”.

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 – conceived more than two years ago – was to pay oblique tribute to the most uncontroversial of national figures, England’s World Cup-winning squad of 1966.

“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,” an FA spokesperson said on Friday. “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.”

Nike later apologised in a statement: “We have been a proud partner of the FA since 2012 and understand the significance and importance of the St George’s Cross. It was never our intention to offend, given what it means to England fans.”

This is not the first time an England shirt has featured an adapted St George’s Cross and there have been many shirts too where the cross has not featured at all. “In 2010 Peter Savile did a kit he called ‘the New Fabric of England’ and it had little small crosses, that were green and blue as well as red,” says Ed Cowburn, kit designer and founder of AcidFC. “I don’t remember at the time anyone being particularly offended by it.”

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. “You are hoping that what you design is going to hit the fashion zeitgeist at that time,” he says. “Over 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.”

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 kids’ shirt is on sale for £119.99. Starmer said that Nike “could reduce the price of the shirts” and on Friday the Football Supporters’ Association called for a “best before date” to be added to kits to help out hard-pressed parents.

“Our national supporters survey showed that 53% of fans felt kit prices were important to them,” a spokesperson said. “In that context £124 for a kids’ match top does feel expensive. We think it’s a good idea for suppliers to put a ‘sell by’ date on kits to make it clear to people how long it’ll be before their team changes its kit.”