Sports stores revolt over Nike's England football kit fiasco: Stores start selling St George's Iron Cross to cover 'wake' flag on back of Three Lions' new strip

Sports stores are selling iron-on St George's Cross shirts so fans can cover up the controversial design on a new England football shirt.

Nike has come under fire after giving a “playful update” to the traditional St George's Cross on the back of the new Three Lions shirt, by adding purple and blue horizontal stripes.

Many fans were angry when the uniform's designer revealed last week that he had replaced the horizontal line on the traditional red cross with a different colour.

The Sports Shop director, Grant Walters, is now selling heat transfer products for £4.95 which feature the old St George's cross, so fans can cover up Nike's new release.

These conversions have been put on sale at his stores in Kingswinford and Stourbridge, in the West Midlands.

Many fans expressed their dismay at the change, while Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said the flag should not be “messed with”. Meanwhile, Opposition Leader Sir Keir Starmer called for the group to be abolished.

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Mr Walters decided to start selling transfers after noticing fans' demand to keep the traditional English flag on the uniforms.

For me, I don't think any national flag should be changed. We provide the solution for people. If it helps, we also raise money for charity. “It's more about solving the problem,” he said.

£1 from every patch sale will be donated to Birmingham Children's Hospital.

Mr Walter added: “I don't see a big problem with that [the new design] as. But if there is a backlash and people want to fly the traditional St. George flag, here's a solution.

It comes as a grandmother iron-on the St George's flag to hide the purple and blue colors on a Nike shirt her husband bought for their 11-year-old grandson Bobby.

Lynn Bellinger used a high-tech Cricut machine to create an alternative iron-on flag to cover the new logo, according to the British Daily Mail. the sun.

This comes as England star Harvey Elliott, 20, hid the controversial blue and purple St George's Cross during a UEFA Under-21 European Nations Cup qualifier in Baku.

Nike said in a statement that it never intended to “offend” English fans. It read: “We have been a proud partner of the FA since 2012 and understand the significance and relevance of St Louis FC.” George crosses and it was never our intention to offend, given what it means to England fans.

But they stuck by claims that the strip celebrates the 1966 England team that won the World Cup.

The strip, which was launched on Monday ahead of the Euro 2024 Championship in Germany this summer, promised to celebrate football heroes of the past with a modern twist.

Nike said: “Along with the FA, the aim was to celebrate the 1966 champions and their achievements. The decoration on the bracelets is inspired by the training equipment worn by the 1966 England champions, with a gradient of blue and red. With purple.

“The same colors also feature an interpretation of the flag on the back of the collar.”

Liverpool's Harvey Elliott, 20, scored twice as the young Three Lions beat Azerbaijan 5-1 in a European Under-21 Championship qualifier in Baku – but the flag on his £125 shirt could not be seen throughout the match. .

Harvey has not commented but Liverpool do not have a collar on their famous red shirt, however, when the Surrey-born attacking midfielder played on loan for Blackburn Rovers in the Championship, he kept his shirt collar lowered.

His decision to raise his shirt collar in his first shirt appearance for the Young Lions will pile pressure on the England first team, who play Brazil at Wembley at 7pm tomorrow. David Seaman had previously indicated that he and other players would have refused to wear it.

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