Nike defends St George’s Cross changes to England shirt – ‘It was never our intention to offend’
Nike has said it was not its “intention to offend” after a row erupted over the sportswear giant’s changes to the St George’s Cross on the new England shirt.
The US firm issued a statement which said: “We have been a proud partner of the FA since 2012 and understand the significance and importance of the St George’s Cross and it was never our intention to offend, given what it means to England fans.
“Together with the FA, the intention was to celebrate the heroes of 1966 and their achievements.
“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 on the back of the collar.”
Earlier, Sky Sports News was told the Football Association (FA) has no intention of withdrawing the controversial kit and England manager Gareth Southgate said the row wasn’t “high on my list of priorities”.
The row erupted after Nike revealed it had altered the traditional red cross of the England flag on the back of the shirt’s collar, introducing purple and blue stripes.
The company dubbed it “a playful update” to the shirt ahead of Euro 2024.
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‘You wouldn’t change the Welsh dragon to a pussycat’
But Prime Minister Rishi Sunak warned Nike “should not mess” with the flag while Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer urged the firm to “reconsider” the design.
Speaking in a press conference this evening, England manager Gareth Southgate said: “I don’t know if the debate is about the St George flag needing to be on the England shirt because obviously it has not always been.
“I think the most important thing that has to be on our shirt is the Three Lions. It’s our iconic symbol. It’s what distinguishes us from football teams around the world and England rugby and England cricket.
“I suppose what you’re really asking is should we be tampering with the cross of St George, in my head if it’s not a red cross and white background then it’s not the cross of St George.
“It’s a hard question to answer. It’s presumably some artistic take on [the flag] which I’m not creative enough to understand.”
He insisted the row wasn’t taking away from their preparation ahead of two upcoming friendly games.
Fans are demanding the original flag be reinstated and an online petition has collected thousands of signatures.
But a spokesperson for the FA said: “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.”
Mr Sunak said: “Obviously I prefer the original, and my general view is that when it comes to our national flags, we shouldn’t mess with them.
“Because they are a source of pride, identity, who we are, and they’re perfect as they are.”
Labour’s shadow attorney general Emily Thornberry told Sky News: “It’s all very peculiar. The England flag is a symbol of unity.
“[For] people, particularly in the last few years when we’ve been having such a difficult time, the England flag at the time has been a symbol of unity… the Lionesses and so on.
“So 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.
“I mean, you wouldn’t expect the England flag to be changed like this.
“You wouldn’t expect bits of purple in the French tricolour. I mean, why are they doing it? I don’t understand.”
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Back in 2014, Ms Thornberry was forced to resign from the shadow cabinet by the then party leader Ed Miliband after being accused of mocking “White Van Man” in a social media post during a visit to Rochester, which pictured a housing block with St George’s flags flying from the window.
Responding to the Nike design, England’s most capped men’s player, Peter Shilton, wrote on X: “Sorry but this is wrong on every level I’m totally against it.”
Another former England goalkeeper David Seaman said: “It doesn’t need fixing. What’s next, are they going to change the Three Lions to three cats? Leave it alone. It’s the St George’s Flag. Leave it alone.”
But John Barnes, who also previously played for the national side, said: “I don’t get involved in culture wars anymore but this whole furore… I didn’t even know there was a St George’s Cross.
“If they were going to change the Three Lions then that’s a debate to be had. I don’t see what the fuss is. I think it’s a much ado about nothing.
“They are not changing the colour of the shirt, the lions are still there. If they were going to change the national flag for England and change the colours then that’s a proper debate to have.”
The price of the shirt has also faced criticism since it was launched earlier this week.
An “authentic” version costs £124.99 for adults and £119.99 for children while a “stadium” version is £84.99 and £64.99 for children.
A man has been charged with murder after 14-year-old Daniel Anjorin was killed and four people were injured near a London Tube station.
Two Metropolitan Police officers were among those hurt as they responded to reports of an attacker with a sword in Hainault, northeast London, on Tuesday.
The man charged has been named as Marcus Aurelio Arduini Monzo, a 36-year-old dual Spanish-Brazilian national from Newham, east London.
He has also been charged with two counts of attempted murder, two counts of grievous bodily harm, aggravated burglary and possession of a bladed article.
Monzo will appear at Barkingside Magistrates’ Court on Thursday.
The families of all those affected by the incident have been informed.
Daniel Anjorin was killed as he walked to school. Pic: Met Police
Daniel Anjorin was a pupil at Bancroft’s private school in Woodford Green – also attended by Nottingham attack victim Grace O’Malley-Kumar.
Staff and pupils at the school said they were in “profound shock and sorrow” at his death.
Daniel’s family told Sky News he was “a wonderful child” who was “well loved” and “hard working” – and that his death “leaves a gaping wound in the family”.
“No family should have to go through what we are experiencing today,” they said. “Any family will understand it’s an absolute tragedy.”
Floral tributes for Daniel have been placed in Hainault. Pic: PA
Monzo is accused of crashing a van into a fence just before 7am, and attacking two members of the public with a sword.
It is alleged he then killed the 14-year-old and seriously injured two police officers as they tried to stop him – one of whom nearly lost her hand.
The suspect was initially taken to hospital after suffering injuries in the van crash.
Jaswant Narwal, chief crown prosecutor for CPS London North, said: “Our thoughts remain firmly with the family of Daniel and all those who have been impacted by this horrific incident.”
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“We remind all concerned that criminal proceedings against the defendant are active and that they have a right to a fair trial,” she continued.
“It is extremely important that there should be no reporting, commentary or sharing of information online which could in any way prejudice these proceedings.”
The Met Office has issued warnings for rain and thunderstorms – with the alerts in place until Thursday morning.
The first warning began at 8pm and covers an area stretching from Portsmouth to Plymouth, and northwards to South Wales, and lasts until 8am.
Heavy rain is expected, with a chance of thunderstorms, and the Met Office said it could bring difficult driving conditions and some flooding.
The second warning kicks in at 11pm and covers nearly all of southeast England, stretching as far north as Oxford and including London. It’s in force until 6am on Thursday.
“Thunderstorms are likely at times later this evening and overnight, leading to travel disruption and some flooding,” said the Met Office.
There will be a risk of sudden flooding and power blackouts in both affected warning areas, added the forecaster.
There’s also a chance of hail and strong winds.
Flooding and lightning strikes could cause disruption on the roads, as well as delays and cancellations to rail and bus services.
Get the latest Sky News forecast for your area
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Around 2cm to 4cm of rain is expected overnight, with 5cm possible in some places.
“Much of this rain may fall over a two or three-hour period,” the Met Office said.
Met Office meteorologist Alex Deakin said: “You may well get woken up tonight by a rumble of thunder, or some flashes of lightning across parts of the South.
“A lot of heavy rain falling in a short space of time as well.”
He said it could create a lot of spray and surface water on the roads for commuters on Thursday morning.
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Elsewhere, it will stay dry with temperatures mostly holding up in double figures across England and Wales, or staying at around 8C to 9C in towns and cities further north.
Deakin said: “A cloudy start then to Thursday one way or another, still some heavy bursts of rain early on across the South West.
“That should tend to clear away, but always the likelihood of further showers across southern parts of England, Mid and South Wales.”
He added: “Parts of northwest Scotland, Northern Ireland, northwest England, much of the Midlands down towards East Anglia should have a fine and sunny day tomorrow.”
The Scottish government has survived a vote of no confidence at Holyrood.
Scottish Labour pressed ahead with its motion despite Humza Yousaf announcing earlier this week his intention to stand down as SNP leader and first minister.
It failed by 58 votes to 70.
The Scottish Greens voted against the motion, with party co-leader Patrick Harvie branding it “chaos for the sake of chaos”.
If it had passed, all ministers in the minority SNP government would have been forced to quit.
Opening the debate, Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar thanked Mr Yousaf for his service and wished him well, but said Scotland was “crying out for change” from the UK Conservative government and the SNP Scottish government.
He said the country needed “credible and effective leadership” to deal with “twin crises” in the economy and NHS.
Mr Sarwar added: “I have no confidence in the SNP’s ability to deliver that and that is why I am bringing this motion to parliament today.”
The outgoing first minister defended his government’s record, adding that in the 13 months he has spent in charge he had not “heard a single positive idea” from Scottish Labour.
Anas Sarwar thanked Mr Yousaf for his service, but said Scotland was ‘crying out for change’. Pic: PA
Mr Yousaf added: “What I have heard is the deafening sound of principle after principle being thrown out of Anas Sarwar’s window.
“U-turning on the two-child cap, U-turning on the devolution of employment law, U-turning on the devolution of drug law, U-turning on his support for Waspi women.”
Mr Yousaf said pro-UK parties, in their “cosy Westminster alliance”, would be “terrified” of a vote of no confidence.
He added: “As I have found out only too well in the last few days, politics is definitely about the choices we choose to make.
“As a government, I am exceptionally proud of our choices.”
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What comes next for the SNP?
The debate and vote has come following the breakdown of the Bute House Agreement.
Within hours of the powersharing deal with the Scottish Greens coming to an end last week, Scottish Tory leader Douglas Ross announced he would be bringing a motion of no confidence in the first minister.
Angry over the way the party was dumped from government, the Scottish Greens announced its MSPs would be backing the motion.
Scottish Labour then announced it was planning a motion of no confidence in the Scottish government.
Mr Yousaf reached out to his political opponents in an effort to stem the uprising but conceded that he had “underestimated the level of hurt and upset” his actions had caused Scottish Green colleagues.
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Speaking to Sky News earlier on Wednesday, Mr Yousaf said: “I will certainly be regretting the way it ended.”
The Scottish Tories dropped their motion following Mr Yousaf’s resignation, but Scottish Labour pressed on as the party believes the decision on the next first minister should be put to the public.
Mr Yousaf intends to remain in post until his successor is announced.
Read more:
Who could replace Humza Yousaf?
What happens now following his resignation
SNP stands at a crossroads – what direction will party take?
Former deputy first minister John Swinney and ex-finance secretary Kate Forbes have emerged as potential frontrunners to throw their hat into the ring.
Kate Forbes speaking to journalists earlier this week. Pic: PA
Mr Sarwar pointed to reports that Ms Forbes could struggle to appoint ministers and described Mr Swinney as “the finance secretary that broke the public finances and the worst education secretary in the history of the Scottish parliament”.
Mr Ross, whose party threw its support behind the Scottish Labour motion, was forced to apologise to Mr Swinney after referring to him as “not so honest John” in the Holyrood chamber.
John Swinney at Holyrood on Tuesday. Pic: PA
Mr Ross was first reprimanded for referring to Mr Swinney as “honest John”, but when presiding officer Alison Johnstone reminded him not to use nicknames, he said: “Oh sorry, I thought it was on accuracy because it would be not so honest John with some of the things we’ve heard recently.”
Douglas Ross (pictured) was first reprimanded for referring to Mr Swinney as ‘honest John’. Pic: PA
Apologising, Mr Ross said: “I will apologise. I’m very sorry for any hurt caused.”
The Scottish Tory leader added: “Whether we have a bitter battle or a cosy coronation to elect the next leader of the SNP, they will continue campaigning for independence and the Scottish people will continue to be failed by them.”
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