Why Nike’s New England Soccer Kit Has Caused Controversy in the U.K.

Nike unveiled the England soccer team’s new kits for the UEFA Euro 2024 tournament––and ignited controversy over one detail that has led to calls for change. U.K. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak is among the prominent voices to speak out about the redesign. 

In the new football kit, as the soccer uniform is known in the U.K., Nike changed some of the colors of the St. George Cross––the traditional red cross against a white background on the English flag. 

The change caused uproar among some fans, leading to calls to boycott the sports manufacturer and criticism from politicians. The BBC reported that Nike has no plans to change the design. TIME reached out to Nike and the England soccer team for comment. 

Here’s what you need to know about the controversy. 

Nike released the new uniform design online on March 18. On the back of the collar, the company made what it called a “playful update” to the cross of St. George by layering pink-purple and blue stripes into one band of the cross to “unite and inspire.” 

A playful update to the 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 of St. George appears on the collar to unite and inspire. pic.twitter.com/lXEjXhbIJO

It’s not the first time a designer has played around with U.K. flags on sports uniforms and received backlash. As noted by the BBC, designer Stella McCartney’s uniforms for Team GB at the 2012 Olympics featured a blue and white Union Jack, instead of the traditional red, white, and blue interlaced crosses on the British flag.

Fans have left thousands of comments on Nike’s announcement of the design on X (formerly Twitter), criticizing the company for being “woke” and calling to #BoycottNike. Conservative political organization Turning Point U.K. defended their national pride in posts on X and called for a “Rally for British Culture” in London on March 23 in response. 

However, some on X criticized that they felt the issue was overblown in light of U.K. and world crises and the focus from politicians and the media was unmerited.

“Is the design of the England kit the most pressing issue of the day?” one social media user queried.

What have politicians said about the change? 

Sunak told Sky News on March 22 that he prefers the original cross of St. George.

"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," he said. 

'When it comes to our national flags we shouldn't mess with them because they are a source of pride, identity, who we are.'

PM Sunak says he "prefers the original" England shirt, after Nike amended the colours of the St George's Cross to a multicoloured design for the new kit. pic.twitter.com/1caGcd6AxJ

The Prime Minister joins a chorus of criticism from the U.K.’s political leaders. Culture Secretary Lucy Frazer said in a post on X: "Fans should always come first, and it's clear that this is not what fans want. Our national heritage––including St George's Cross––brings us together. Toying with it is pointless and unnecessary.” 

Another prominent politician, leader of the Labour Party Keir Starmer was asked by the Sun in an interview on March 21 whether it was wrong for Nike to change the cross. 

He responded: “I think it was. 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. I’m not even sure they can properly explain why they thought they needed to change it in the first place.” 

Starmer added that he thinks Nike could also reduce the price of the shirts. They are currently retailing for £125 pounds ($157).  

Another Labour Party member Emily Thornberry, interviewed on Sky News on March 22, said: “You wouldn't expect Nike to go off and have a look at the Welsh flag and decide to change the dragon to a pussycat. You wouldn’t expect the England flag to be changed like this.”