Nike’s ‘playful update’ of England flag gets rent-a-gobs hot under the collar

Retailing at £124.99 for adults and £119.99 for kids (“stadium” replica versions are available for £84.99 and £64.99), there is much to be offended by when it comes to the new England football shirt. Sadly, rather than protest at the extortionate sums of money put-upon fans are being asked to pony up for this overpriced polyester knocked out for a pittance by some low-paid factory worker in Thailand, the only umbrage Football Daily has noticed being taken since the release of the garment has centred exclusively on the sportswear company’s “playful update” on the tiny St George’s Cross that appears on the back of the collar and has been redesigned to “unite and inspire”.

The update in question is a re-imagining of the flag in different colours, specifically the replacement of the traditionally red horizontal line of the cross with three different colours. The design has been dismissed as “woke” by assorted public figures who seem strangely reluctant to explain how they have arrived at this conclusion, although Football Daily is prepared to go out on a limb and surmise that it may have something to do with the fact that one of the three offending colours happens to be pink. We could be wrong, but it’s a theory that, in keeping with the subject of today’s missive, we’re happy to run up the flagpole.

While people are, of course, entitled to be upset by some American company’s decision to play fast and loose with the colours of another nation’s flag, it is difficult to feel sympathy for many of them, considering how much they have tainted the standard in question with their intolerance and xenophobia. A keen student of vexillology, in so far as he has nailed his own colours to three different political masts since entering politics less than a decade ago, Lee Anderson, the perma-outraged MP for Ashfield, was predictably displeased with the latest Nike design.

A tedious, rude, attention-seeking boor who famously refused to watch “my beloved England team” at the last Euros because Gareth Southgate and his players decided to perform an anti-racism gesture before their games, the 57-year-old rent-a-gob worked himself into a predictable lather over the new England shirt without going so far as to explain exactly what it is about this tiny fabric rectangle he finds so objectionable. “This virtue signalling, namby-pamby, pearl-clutching woke nonsense must stop,” he thundered. “Any more of this and I’ll be on the first flight to Rwanda.” With no direct flights currently available despite the best attempts of the Tory party Lee controversially left last week, Football Daily is happy to recommend one from London Heathrow to Kigali (via Brussels) at 6.30am tomorrow, and will even offer to stump up Lee’s £758 one-way fare.

While it’s not often that we find ourselves doffing our hat to a major multinational with form in using factories that mistreat their workers, we do have to hand it to Nike on this occasion, for pulling off the impressive feat of upsetting all the right people. As well as Anderson, assorted other GB News presenters, Joey Barton, Nigel Farage and countless X users whose bios feature the flag they love so much (invariably accompanied by the phrase “proud dad”) have also taken exception to Nike’s tinkering, with many calling for the head of whoever at the FA was responsible for giving it the seal of approval.

“I can’t believe this has been approved without the sign-off of at least the commercial director and the chief executive of the organisation,” said the former FA Club England managing director, Adrian Bevington, in a radio interview this morning. Sadly no one thought to mention that on his watch in 2011, an England shirt designed by Peter Saville featuring multiple St George’s Crosses in different colours was not only approved and signed off, but went on sale without anyone kicking up even the slightest bit of fuss.

Join Daniel Gallan for live Euro 2024 playoff coverage of Wales 1-0 Finland (aet) – kick-off is at 7.45pm GMT.

“To wear your country’s colours, whatever the circumstances, is something to treasure. I felt a glow of pride when I returned home and showed my old dad, who lives with Alzheimer’s, a picture of me playing for Scotland … then seeing his face beam with delight when I told him we managed to beat England!” – Colin Leslie on making an international final with Scotland’s over-50s team.

Waltham Forest’s mythical Harry Kane statue has finally seen the light of day thanks to the Big Issue, which obtained photos of the sculpture sitting in storage. The statue of England’s record goalscorer was commissioned in 2020 but has been holed up like a sad giant while the London borough seeks a suitable location. Part of the problem may be that, unlike the real Kane, this lifesize bronze likeness is attached to a bench. “The location of the statue is really important to us,” said a spokesperson for Kane. “When we get it right, we will be happy to go.” Given his impressive start at Bayern Munich, perhaps they should consider shipping it to the Allianz Arena.

“I wondered what had become of John Gregory now his managerial career seems to be over; how appropriate therefore to see him winning a book entitled Too Good to be Forgotten for yesterday’s letter o’ the day” – Richard Hirst.

“Re: football-themed recipe books [yesterday’s Letters]: I’d gladly make the trip up to Sheffield to pick up Chris Wilder’s 1,001 Sandwich Ideas” – Simon Riley.

“Football has nothing to fear from a regulator. I’m sure any supervision and enforcement would be as rigorous as that facing the water industry. Err … oh, heck” – Mark McFadden.

“Have Chelsea fans mistaken toxicity as a synonym for mediocrity?” – Noble Francis.

“Wednesday’s Wales v Finland preview overlooked that this fixture could have devastating consequences for Leeds’s promotion bid, with five players involved and risking knack. There’s been nothing in Glen Kamara’s performances this season that suggests he’s going to become a leg-chopping maniac, but if he does need to tackle, say, Daniel James, could he please do it gently?” – Daniel Farke Darren Leathley.

Send letters to the.boss@theguardian.com. Today’s winner of our letter o’ the day is … Richard Hirst, who gets a copy of Too Good to be Forgotten, published by Pitch Publishing. Visit their book store here.

An Italian court’s rape conviction against Robinho has been upheld by a court in Brazil, which has ruled that the former Milan forward must serve his nine-year prison sentence in his home country.

Erik ten Hag will stay in charge at Manchester United until at least the end of the season, with Sir Big Jim Ratcliffe impressed with what he’s seen so far.

Anthony Gordon ​claims he only ever had eyes for England​ after ​earning his first ​senior call-up. “It was never a thought for me,” he tooted when asked if he had considered playing for Scotland at Euro 2024.​ “That’s no disrespect to Scotlan​d. I’ve been tunnel-visioned on playing for England since I was five or six years old.”

Australia kept on course for another flamin’ World Cup with a 2-0 win over​ Lebanon, although injuries spoiled the party at the CommBank Stadium. Elsewhere, South Korea were held to a draw by Thailand and Japan beat North Korea 1-0.

Richard Hughes ​has been confirmed as Liverpool​’s new sporting ​director.​ H​e​ will leave his ​p​osition as Bournemouth’s technical director at the end of the season, and will officially take up his new role on ​Merseyside on 1 June.

Leon Bailey has hit out at the Jamaican FA after being dropped from their Concacaf Nations League squad. “They’re very unprofessional. You get your flight details sent to you at 11pm,” he told the Let’s Be Honest podcast. “I don’t remember the last time I received a dollar from the Jamaica national team.”

And in news to delight football fans and gastronomers throughout France, the top division will be rebranded as McDonald’s Ligue 1 for next season.

“Before the injury, I’d become really tired of football and wasn’t watching many games apart from my own. But now, it feels as if I’ve got my hunger and my love for the game back” – in today’s newsletter Magdalena Eriksson talks about how recovering from a metatarsal injury helped revive her love of football.

Continuing our focus on migrant labourers’ living conditions in Saudi Arabia before their likely staging of the 2034 World Cup, Pete Pattisson reports on the plight of deported Bangladeshi workers.

Grimsby chairman Jason Stockwood on why the plans for a football regulator demonstrate the inherently political nature of football.

Max Rushden looks into the not-too-distant future and foresees a world where relegation is decided in the courts, not on the pitch.

Joe Gomez has been chatting about his long road back to England recognition after injury. “A lot of it is a blur because of the pain,” he recalls.

Some hot Wales v Finland buildup action, with Ben Fisher writing on Wales’s new generation and Ewan Murray listening to Teemu Pukki talking about one of the biggest games in Finnish football history.

And after Wednesday’s quiz on men’s international stalwarts, you can test your knowledge of the most-capped women’s players here.

Kerry Davis is pictured playing for England in the Euro 1995 semi-final against Germany at Vicarage Road. A forward who played for Croydon, Liverpool and Napoli, Davis was the first black woman to play for England and her achievements will be celebrated at this year’s Football Black List awards tonight. “I’m very honoured, very humbled,” Davis said. “It shines a light on the generation that I played with, because we’ve never really had a lot of recognition.”