England shirt controversy: What do UEFA equipment regulations say about flags on shirts?
As England heads to Germany in June for EURO 2024, The Asterisk explains the controversy and UEFA’s Equipment Regulations about the use of flags on shirts.
Nike’s "playful update" to the St. George’s Cross etched onto the collar on the back of England's new home shirt sparked a furore after its Twitter launch on 18 March.
What happened?
In the "playful update", the horizontal bar of the cross comprised a gradient of blues and reds topped with purple.
Fans speculated that Nike attempted to promote a "woke agenda" by incorporating colours reminiscent of the bisexual flag onto the cross.
The tweet, which has now garnered over 43 million impressions, kicked up a storm, sparking a culture war and drawing criticism from Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, Labour leader Keir Starmer, ex-football players, pundits, and fans.
Starmer called on The Football Association (FA) to scrap the shirt.
The FA defended the multicoloured cross and clarified that it was a homage to the 1996 World Cup squad.
"The new England 2024 Home kit has a number of design elements meant as a tribute to the 1966 World Cup-winning team," The FA said in a statement.
The governing body also stated that it wasn’t the first time different colours were used for the cross and that it understood the significance of the flag to the fans.
Manager Gareth Southgate downplayed the controversy at a media conference before the England-Brazil match in March.
"If it's not a red cross on a white background, then it is not the cross of St. George," he said.
What does UEFA say about the use of flags on the shirt?
According to Article 3.02 of UEFA’s Equipment Regulations, teams must adhere to the equipment-related requirements set out in the Laws of the Game for any UEFA competition.
England’s shirt will have to be compliant with the regulations for them to play at EURO 2024.
Under the team identification section, Article 13.01 of the regulations permits teams to use the national flag or symbol on the playing attire.
Article 16.01 specifies that the national flag or national symbol must be represented in its official shape and proportions.
However, it is not clear whether a graphical interpretation of a flag or symbol or the elements of a flag or symbol are recognised as "team identifications."
If England or Nike have made use of the flag, the team or supplier will have had to submit evidence of gaining authorisation to make use of the national flag from the country, according to Article 13.02.
Team identifications used on the playing attire have to be officially registered with UEFA and the team’s national association.
"The English shirt has been approved in line with the equipment regulations," UEFA told The Asterisk.
England will kick off their EURO 2024 campaign on 16 June, where they will take on Serbia at the Veltins-Arena in Gelsenkirchen.