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Football Gareth Southgate believes the cross of St. George can only be red and white, but says he is "lost" by the debate over
England 's new kits. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and
Labour leader Keir Starmer are among the prominent figures to take issue with the multicoloured cross which features on the back of Nike 's redesigned England shirts -- which launched this week ahead of Euro 2024. Southgate does not think the redesigned logo can be described as the St. George's cross but pointed out that England have not always featured the national flag on their football shirts and said the Three Lions badge was "the most important thing" on the kit. "I haven’t really followed it," the manager said ahead of Saturday's friendly with
Brazil at Wembley. "I have been told there’s a lot of noise. I’ve got enough on my plate trying to piece the team together... "My view is if it’s not white with a red cross it’s not the St George's flag. So whatever it is, it’s a quirky design feature which I guess a Banksy or a Reuben Dangoor might do. "If the debate is 'should the England flag be on the England shirt?', we’ve had moments where it has been and moments where it hasn’t been. "The most important thing on the England shirt is the Three Lions, really. That is the thing that is iconic, that differentiates us even from the England rugby team or the England
Cricket team. "So when I, a long time ago, 29 years, put my kit on at Burnham Beeches, the training kit and looked in the mirror, it was the Three Lions I was looking at. England vs Brazil: Prediction, kick-off time, TV, live stream, team news, h2h results, odds England XI vs Brazil: Predicted lineup, confirmed team news and injury latest for Wembley friendly FA stand by new England kit amid St. George's Cross controversy with message to critics Why aren't Brazil wearing yellow kit against England? Famous shirt ditched for Wembley friendly "I am a huge patriot. I believe we should celebrate St George’s Day more than we do. The flag of St George, there’s an interesting history because years ago it was just the Union Jack following England. So there’s a lot of nuance to that. "But the bit I understand: people don’t think we should we changed the flag of St George. "[But] if it’s changed then it isn’t the flag of St George! So I’m a little bit lost with that element of it." Pushed on whether he felt Nike should not have changed the flag's colours, Southgate added: "Well, I think they can put a quirky design together but you can’t say it’s the flag of St George because it isn’t. It’s therefore something else." Nike have said the “playful update” was introduced to “unite and inspire” fans for this summer's European Championship, while the Football Association has no intention of recalling the shirt and said the redesign was part of a tribute to the 1966
World Cup winners. "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," an FA spokesperson said on Friday. "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.” Different coloured St George’s Crosses were used on a 2011 England shirt, designed by Peter Saville. The new shirt costs £125 for the adult version and £120 for juniors -- described as "expensive" by the Football Supporters' Association (FSA) which has called for a 'sell-by' date to be put on kits so buyers know when they will be out of date. Southgate acknowledged that buying the new kit would be "a huge commitment" for some families. He said: "This is always a difficult scenario for families. Families always want to be able to provide their kids with the latest football shirts. The only thing I know as a parent is that the football shirt gets worn more than any other item of clothing that a kid has. "But obviously other people are guiding those prices, I don’t really know what the correct pricing should be. "But I completely understand, from a parents perspective, in this day and age, in particular this moment, where we are economically, that it’s a huge commitment to buy a shirt that is at a high price." MORE ABOUT Have your say...