CROSSWORDS
Retailing at £124.99 for adults and £119.99 for children (“stadium” replica versions are available for £84.99 and £64.99), there’s a lot to be offended by when it comes to the new England football shirt. Sadly, rather than protesting the exorbitant sums of money fans are being asked to sacrifice for this overpriced polyester swiped for a pittance by a low-paid factory worker in Thailand, the only offense Football Daily has since noticed is the garment’s release focused solely on the sportswear company’s “playful update”: the small St. George’s cross that appears on the back of the collar and has been redesigned to “unify and inspire.”
The update in question is a new version of the flag in different colors, specifically the replacement of the traditionally red horizontal line of the cross with three different colors. The design has been dismissed as ‘woke’ by several public figures who seem strangely reluctant to explain how they came to this conclusion, although Football Daily is willing to take the plunge and suspect it may have something to do with the fact that one of the three offensive colors is pink. We may be wrong, but it is a theory that, in keeping with the topic of today’s mission, we like to climb the flagpole.
Related: Football Daily | Will Wales seize their chance to make the Red Wall hum again?
While people obviously have a right to be upset by an American company’s decision to play fast and loose with the colors of another country’s flag, it’s hard to feel sympathy for many of them, when you consider how much they have damaged the norm in question with their bigotry and xenophobia. Lee Anderson, the perennially outraged MP for Ashfield, is a keen student of vexillology, to the extent that he has nailed his own colors to three different political masts since entering politics less than a decade ago. He was predictably dissatisfied with the latest Nike design.
An obnoxious, rude, attention-seeking farmer who famously refused to watch ‘my beloved England team’ during the last Euros because Gareth Southgate and his players decided to make an anti-racism gesture before their matches, the 57-year-old rent-a-gob worked himself into a predictable lather over the New England shirt without going so far as to explain exactly what it is about this little rectangle of fabric that he finds so objectionable. “This virtue-signaling, namby-pamby, pearl-clutching woke nonsense has got to stop,” he thundered. “If you do any more of this, I’ll be on the first flight to Rwanda.” With no direct flights currently available, despite the best efforts of the Tory party which Lee controversially left last week, Football Daily is pleased to recommend a flight from London Heathrow to Kigali (via Brussels) tomorrow at 6.30am, and will even offer to increase Lee’s £. 758 one way.
While it’s not often that we take our hats off to a major multinational that has a track record of using factories that mistreat their workers, on this occasion we have to hand it to Nike for doing an impressive job of hiring the right people. to upset. As well as Anderson, several other GB News presenters, Joey Barton, Nigel Farage and countless with many involving the calling of the head of whoever was responsible at the FA for awarding the seal of approval.
“I can’t believe this has been approved without the signature of at least the commercial director and the general manager of the organization,” Adrian Bevington, former director of FA Club England, said in a radio interview this morning. Sadly, no one thought to mention that on his watch in 2011, an England shirt designed by Peter Saville with multiple St George’s Crosses in different colors was not only approved and signed off on, but also went on sale without anyone making even the slightest fuss made about. .
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QUOTE OF THE DAY
“Wearing the colors of your country, regardless of the circumstances, is something to cherish. I felt a glow of pride when I got home and showed my elderly father, who suffers from Alzheimer’s, a photo of me playing for Scotland… and then I saw his face light up with joy when I told him we were in had succeeded in beating England!’ – Colin Leslie on reaching an international final with the Scottish over-50s team.
FREE HARRY
Waltham Forest’s mythical Harry Kane statue has finally seen the light of day thanks to the Big Issue, which has obtained photos of the statue in storage. The statue of England’s top scorer was inaugurated in 2020, but has been entrenched like a sad giant while the London borough looks for a suitable location. Part of the problem may be that, unlike the real Kane, this life-size bronze likeness is attached to a bench. “The location of the statue is very important to us,” said a spokesperson for Kane. “If it’s good, we’ll be happy to continue.” Given his impressive start at Bayern Munich, perhaps they should consider moving him to the Allianz Arena.
FOOTBALL DAILY LETTERS
I wondered what had become of John Gregory now that his career as a manager appears to be over; how fitting it is therefore to see him win a book entitled Too Good to be Forgotten for Yesterday’s Letter” – Richard Hirst.
Re: Football themed recipe books [yesterday’s Letters]: I would love to make the trip to Sheffield to pick up Chris Wilder’s 1001 Sandwich Ideas” – Simon Riley.
Football has nothing to fear from a regulator. I am sure that supervision and enforcement will be as strict as that of the water industry. Err… oh, damn” – Mark McFadden.
Have Chelsea fans seen toxicity as synonymous with mediocrity?’ – Noble Francis.
Overlooked in Wednesday’s Wales v Finland preview was the match that could have devastating consequences for Leeds’ promotion bid, with five players involved and risking skill. There’s nothing in Glen Kamara’s performances this season to suggest he’s turning into a leg-chopping maniac, but if he has to take on, say, Daniel James, can he please do it gently? – Daniel Farke Darren Leathley.
Send letters to the.boss@theguardian.com. Today’s winner of our letter of the day is… Richard Hirst, who will receive a copy of Too Good to be Forgotten, published by Pitch Publishing. Visit their bookstore here.