England rarely sways away from all-white when it comes to their home jersey. There’s no written rule in place that states it must be all one color (although there are requirements when it comes to design), it’s just usually how things are. It’s tradition, or that’s what your dad says anyway.
Whenever football teams – countries especially – go a little crazy with a splash of color or a tweaking of "tradition", it doesn’t often end well.
It’s not that the kits themselves are bad (although some have been terrible), it’s the reaction from the general public that’s almost always a negative one.
If things are kept too clean or changes are too minimal, it's dubbed a waste of time, if they change too much they aren’t happy with that either. It’s a lose-lose situation, whichever way you look at it.
Anyway, following the reveal of 90% of its World Cup kits last week, Nike has now officially unveiled England’s home and away kits for the upcoming Qatar World Cup. And to say the home jersey has been received with, er, varying opinions would be an understatement, to say the least (just read the comments).
Yes, the away kit is as expected: an all-over red with a reimagined collar inspired by the team’s Italia 90 strips. The home kit, however, combines “Blue Void” across the shoulders with varying patterns and color gradients, alongside a distorted Three Lions graphics on the shoulders.
It’s got to a point now that no matter what kit designers do, they’re fighting a losing battle with trying to please the masses. Whatever the case, if football comes home mid December, I’m sure the general public will soon forgive a little splash of blue.
