England’s controversial kit design shows ‘a little bit of incompetence’, claims Joe Cole… as the former Three Lions star admits the national side ‘don’t need’ the dispute

Joe Cole has claimed England’s controversial new kit design is ‘a little bit of incompetence’.

The new Three Lions strip includes a multi-coloured flag, which is described as a homage to the training kit worn by the squad that won the World Cup in 1966.

It has made headlines due to it including an adaptation of the St George’s flag, with several supporters outraged when kit designer Nike revealed it had replaced the horizonal line on the traditional red cross with a navy blue, light blue and pink one.

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

Cole, speaking on Channel 4’s coverage of England’s friendly against Brazil, said that he thought the adaptation was an attempt to be ‘artistic’ but that the designed shouldn’t have made the call.

The kit was on show for the first time on Saturday night in England’s game against Brazil

Cole said that the Three Lions ‘don’t need’ the controversy in the build-up to the summer’s Euros

‘From a footballing perspective, it’s the last thing that Gareth will want to deal with,’ Cole said. ‘I thought he dealt with it unbelievably well. 

‘He talked about the fact we had St George’s flags on the kit before and we haven’t. We’ve always had the Three Lions because that’s what the England football team represents.

‘I think what’s happened here is some people at Nike have tried to make something artistic connected to it. Someone at the FA… I think a bit of incompetence has come in because you want a lovely kit that’s at a reasonable price. The kit is overpriced at the moment, in my opinion. 

‘Somebody at the FA should have gone, “You know what, that could be perceived as this. Gareth doesn’t need it. The lads don’t need it. Let’s just concentrate on the football”. That hasn’t happened. It’s not a big deal in the scheme of things.’

Manager Gareth Southgate, who described himself as a huge patriot, fell short of criticising the Football Association and Nike for the multi-coloured flag in the week. 

Gareth Southgate on Friday night insisted the controversial logo on the collar of the new England shirt is not a St George’s flag

The England manager said that the look is a ‘quirky design feature’ rather than a St George’s flag

He instead on Friday night insisted the controversial logo on the collar of the new shirt is not a St George’s flag, claiming it is merely a ‘quirky design feature’.

‘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,’ explained Southgate.

‘The most important thing on the England shirt is the Three Lions. That is the thing that is iconic, that differentiates us even from the England rugby team or the England cricket team.’