The Nike England flag controversy just won't go away. The unveiling of the sports brand's new England home kit design ahead of Euro 2024 has been one of those rare cases in which everyone from sporting celebrities to the British prime minister has a design opinion, and most of them are negative.
The controversy revolves around a somewhat unconventional choice of colours for the England flag on the neck of the football shirt. Now a British flag maker has decided to "return the favour" to show what a Nike redesign of the US flag could look like.
Hey @Nike Thought we'd return the favour...#nike #england #football #worldcup2024 #footballkitHow about you leave the #flags to us and you carry on sticking a ✔️ on the old plimsols yeah.. pic.twitter.com/5fsQOoEUVTMarch 22, 2024
Leave the flags to us and stick to putting ticks on old plimsolls, Lincolnshire-based Newton Newton Flags suggests in its tongue-in-cheek response to Nike after the sports brand chose to use the cross of St George in blues, reds and purples instead of the traditional solid red.
Company director Tracy Turner told media that the mocked-up image was made in jest but had a serious message. Basically, that Nike "should have stuck to red and white" for the 2024 England kit. She suggested that people in the US wouldn't tolerate "anyone messing with their flag", and that the US sportswear company should therefore treat the England flag with similar respect. It's "been like that for hundreds of years," she added.
In a bid to avoid a diplomatic incident, Nike has insisted that the flag on the new kit design was "a playful interpretation" intended to "unite and inspire", while taking inspiration from the kit of England's victorious 1966 World Cup team.
Others have defended the design, including England midfielder Declan Rice and Lionesses striker Alessia Russo. And to be fair, it's not the first time we've seen such colours. The flag actually recalls the branding of Team GB for Paris 2024 Olympics, which features hues not normally seen in the British flag.
Nike told media: "The England 2024 Home kit disrupts history with a modern take on a classic," inspired by the training kit worn by England's 1966 World Cup winners." Let's just hope it disrupts England's historic lack of European Cup silverware.
Meanwhile, in other sporting design news, don't miss what must be the most bizarre rebrand of a sports team yet, and see if you can spot all of the hidden references in the stunning new Wimbledon 2024 poster.
