<
>

Fabric of England: Stunning jersey highlights World Cup squad's multicultural heritage

As England prepare for their World Cup quarterfinal against France in Qatar, Saturday's match is another occasion that will bring the country together to watch Gareth Southgate's side.

- World Cup 2022: News and features | Bracket | Schedule

However, as was seen after the Three Lions lost the European championship final to Italy on penalties last year, such moments can often be divisive. Marcus Rashford, Jadon Sancho and Bukayo Saka all missed their spot kicks in that shootout at Wembley, and in the aftermath they received racial abuse on social media.

For this World Cup, UK-based anti-racism educational charity Show Racism the Red Card has produced an unofficial England shirt to highlight the multicultural makeup of the players representing the national team.

Show Racism the Red Card conducted a study of publicly available material spanning players' social media accounts, interviews and online articles to determine that, of the 39 players who are either in the England squad in Qatar or played a part during their qualification campaign, there are at least 13 other countries in their heritages other than the one they are all playing for at the World Cup.

The result is the "Fabric of England" jersey, which features an eye-catching and colourful patchwork design of those 14 national teams.

ESPN analyst and former Premier League goalkeeper Shaka Hislop, who is the honorary president and co-founder of Show Racism the Red Card, said: "It is meant to be used as a teaching tool to better highlight the histories that go in to making a country, and indeed a national team -- that we are a mosaic of so much before us, that we are made up of so many different parts."

The London-born ex-Newcastle United and West Ham United goalkeeper, who represented Trinidad and Tobago at the 2006 World Cup after playing for England's U21s earlier in his career, added: "I think it's a stunning piece of equipment ... It's a stunning way to highlight all that's great around football.

"Here in Qatar -- as we've done at so many World Cups -- we've spoken about all the different stories that go in to making World Cup teams. We've highlighted so many different stories of fans coming to World Cups to support their teams, and what the World Cup means to them.

"This shirt signifies all that has gone in to making England what it is today as a country. This shirt signifies the strength that can be found in differences. In us focusing on what brings us together, as opposed to what tears us apart."