Nike's new England men's soccer shirt is causing a stir with its recolored flag

abcnews.go.com:

The decision by Nike to change the color of the St. George’s Cross on the new England men's soccer shirt from the traditional red and white is causing controversy

LONDON — England's new men's soccer team shirt is out and it's causing a bit of a stir. And it's not just the price that's vexing some.

The decision by Nike to change the color of the St. George’s Cross on the new shirt from the traditional red and white has even prompted the prime minister and the man who is favored to succeed him to make their displeasure known.

A petition on Change.org calling for a design change had already attracted more than 22,000 signatures by early afternoon Friday.

The new Nike-designed shirt, which has been modeled by some players, including England captain Harry Kane, is being rolled out in the run-up to this year’s European Championship in Germany. It has an altered cross on the back of the shirt’s collar, redesigned using purple and blue horizontal stripes.

Nike says it’s a “playful update” to the shirt ahead of Euro 2024 and harks back to the training kit the England team wore at the 1966 World Cup, the only major tournament won by the men’s team. England will be starting the tournament this summer as one of the favorites.

Keir Starmer, leader of the main opposition Labour Party and a fan of Premier League leaders Arsenal, said he believed the flag, which is marked by an image of the St. George’s Cross, was a “unifier” and that Nike needed to «reconsider” its decision to modify it.

»It doesn’t need to be changed," he told the Sun newspaper. «We just need to be proud of it.”

Conservative Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, on a visit to the north of England, was also asked about what he thought about Nike's change.

“Obviously I prefer