Lionesses and Manchester United Women’s keeper Mary Earps has once again called out Nike over the ongoing women’s goalkeeper kit saga, with thousands now having signed a petitionurging them to change their minds.
In case you missed it, Nike‘s decision not to manufacture and sell replica female keeper kits this year loomed large over the 2023 Women’s World Cup after England‘s no.1 publicly criticised the sports brand over what they labelled merely ‘financial strategy’.
With millions of fans urging the global franchise to adjust and stock not only Earps’ kit but that of all the other goalkeepers at this year’s women’s tournament, the company finally issued a pubic response but, for many, it was seen as somewhat of a non-statement.
Reacting to the statement on Instagram, the 30-year-old said, “Nike, is this your version of an apology/taking accountability/a powerful statement of intent?”, as well as sharing images of the support she has been receiving online — including a petition that’s now been signed by more than 136,000.
The petition notes how the Nottingham-born shot-stopper’s Man United shirt was also the third-best-selling and ultimately sold out last season, insisting, “We need to unite and demand this decision is overturned. We need to show togetherness and support Mary and ask Nike to rethink their decision.
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“Let’s make them see just how important our female goalkeepers are. How respected they are and how many young girls aspire to join them in the future. Any type of exclusion is unacceptable in this day and age and we need to show we will not stand for it.”
Concluding by saying, “Mary and all female goalkeepers, we love and respect you. You are inspirational and we are behind you”, the Change.org petition is now well on its way to 150,000 signatures as it’s clear plenty of Brits still want to show support and buy the kit.
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In fact, the demand for the Lionesses kits, in general, shot up by nearly 4,000% ahead of the World Cup final and Earps’ shirt was one of the most in-demand, and even in the more immediate aftermath of the decision going public, a massive mural of the Golden Glove winner was erected near Old Trafford.
In their statement addressing the mounting pressure from fans, Nike said, “We hear and understand the desire for a retail version of a goalkeeper jersey and we are working towards solutions for future tournaments, in partnership with Fifa and the federations.”
However, as Earps said at the time, she had been given the same assurances that they would begin manufacturing and selling women’s goalkeeper kits to the public after they failed to do so for the Euros.
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Whether or not Nike will change its position sooner rather than later remains to be seen but one thing is clear: football fans are not letting up.
Ex-Man United man Louis Saha says Old Trafford’s deterioration shows a ‘lack of respect’ for the fans
Danny Jones
Former Manchester United striker Louis Saha has come to claim that the deterioration of Old Trafford is disrespectful to the fans.
The retired French forward, who represented the club 120 times and scored 42 goals during his time at the club between 2004-08, has come to the defence of the Man United faithful, insisting that the stadium is simply no longer up to the standard.
Speaking to Paddy Power earlier this week, the Red Devils old number nine said, “The state of Old Trafford shows a lack of respect to the supporters. They pay for tickets, create the atmosphere, and they need to have a better experience.
“The images of the roof leaking are ridiculous for those who are proud of the club, it’s unacceptable. It’s a bad sign that the investment has not been made in the right place at the right time.” In case you missed it, the Theatre of Dreams looked more like some kind of drowning nightmare after last week’s flooding.
“I’ve heard Gary Neville complain about it many times, and he’s been warning the club about it for a while”, Saha continued. “For it to get to that point, it was really embarrassing.
Flooding was just spotted in the stands but there were various reports and clips posted on social media showing interior leaks, including in the away dressing room.
The 45-year-old went on to say: “It’s symbolic, but it means a lot. For a fan that has paid so much for their membership and ticket, they haven’t been respected. It needs to be addressed – fans should not be seeing this.”
Fans have been complaining about various problems with Old Trafford‘s infrastructure for years now as despite being one of the most valuable football clubs in the world, Man United’s home ground and various other facilities are widely considered to be pretty outdated.
Saha, like many of the fans, believes the deterioration of Old Trafford symbolises the Glazer’s neglect. (Credit: Wikimedia Commons)
New co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe has already intimated that he would rather build an entirely new stadium than renovate Old Trafford, especially since it has been estimated that it would cost more to repair and redevelop the existing structure than it would start from scratch.
There have also been plenty of mock-ups as to what a ‘New Trafford’ might look like should the prospective plans be greenlit. Mayor Andy Burham has already been appointed as part of the new stadium ‘taskforce’ and says it could prove to be the biggest regeneration scheme in the country.
Be it giving the iconic football stadium some much-needed TLC or providing the fans with an entirely new one, it’s fair to say the club can’t expect to return to their glory days by allowing Old Trafford to continue deteriorating and letting its legacy slip into squalor.
Featured Images — Web Summit (via Flickr)/Wikimedia Commons/The Manc Group
Sport
Man City confirm Ederson will miss rest of the season following fractured eye socket
Danny Jones
Manchester City have revealed that goalkeeper Ederson will miss the final two games of the season after suffering a fractured eye socket following a hefty collision earlier this week.
City’s second-choice keeper Stefan Ortega was forced to come on and produce some heroics against Tottenham on Tuesday night after Ederson was on the receiving end of a forceful challenge from centre-back Cristian Romero, ultimately being hooked off despite trying to play on for a few more minutes.
The Brazilian number one was left visibly upset by the decision, thrashing his seat on the bench and planting his head in his hands following the understandably cautious substitution, but it proved to be the right move the club has now confirmed a bone-break around his eye.
With manager Pep Guardiola having already to press after the game that Ederson has a “problem with his eye” and “could not see” properly, the club have now confirmed that he will now be out for the rest of the season.
We can confirm that Ederson will miss the final two games of the season due to a small fracture of his eye socket.
Everyone at the Club wishes Ederson a speedy recovery 🩵
As detailed in the update, scans revealed a “small fracture” of his right eye socket and being struck by the leg and hip of the Spurs defender.
It was clear that all was not well in the immediate aftermath of the two players clashing as the 30-year-old was left lying on the floor for some time and medical staff were rushed over.
Although concussion was ultimately ruled out and only the fracture has been confirmed, Ederson did go on to slip with his first kick of the ball and was seen shaking his head as if to shrug off the impact in the following moments.
He was also pictured with a very noticeable black eye following the full-time whistle.
This obviously means that in addition to missing Man City’s last Premier League game of the season against West Ham this weekend, where they might very well lift their fourth consecutive title, he will also miss the FA Cup final against Man United.
With it being just the second Manchester derby cup final in history, a second in a row as it happens, he, the team and the fans will obviously be gutted to be without their go-to shot-stopper.
Nevertheless, it’s a relief to see his safety being prioritised not only during the same on Tuesday night but in the days since and if there’s one thing it proved it’s that Ortega is more than capable of filling in for him when needed.
As any fan would following a scary injury like that, we join the club in wishing him a speedy recovery.