WORLD Cup heroine Mary Earps is “hurting” as Nike refuse to sell replicas of her England No1 shirt and omitted her from a team image ahead of Sunday’s final.
Angry fans have joined Earps in demanding the sportswear giants do a U-turn as she is “desperate” for her family and friends to finally get her kit.
England’s 40-cap goalkeeper Mary Earps celebrates reaching Sunday’s World Cup final but is less happy over Nike’s treatment of her over replica kitRex
instagram @nikefootballNike’s congratulatory post after victory over Australia stirred the issue further as Earps was omitted from their picture[/caption]
Fifa’s reigning female stopper of the year has won 40 caps since 2017.
And the Manchester United star, 30, has been “fighting behind closed doors” for Nike to change their policy.
Now pundits and supporters on social media are backing her pleas after the Lionesses reached a World Cup final for the first time ever.
The furore deepened after Nike posted a “Pure Lionesses’ energy” congratulatory message following Wednesday’s 3-1 semi-final win over Australia in Sydney – but left Earps out of the montage of players.
Many supporters online suspect the manufacturer snubbed her in a failed attempt to dampen the shirt controversy.
It’s understood Nike reckon goalkeepers’ tops sell poorly.
But most fans appear to doubt this belief or feel the company is showing Earps a lack of respect.
One posted: “Time to fix this @nike? (can’t imagine an England men’s team in the world cup final and being unable to buy the goalie kit…) #Lionesses.”
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Another said: “Mary Earps is about to play in a World Cup Final. And kids still can’t buy her shirt. Sort it out.”
A third put it more bluntly: “For God’s sake sell Mary Earps’ shirt.”
A fourth suggested she had been unfairly singled out: “You can’t buy her shirt because Nike didn’t think it was worth making it. Made all the others, just not Mary’s.”
A fifth stated it was “awkward” for Nike “as the Lionesses head into the first England World Cup final since 1966”.
But some supporters argued that, if the company’s decision was down to bias, it was more against goalkeepers than women.
One male fan wrote: “I think everyone getting angry about this believes it to be discriminatory against women’s football. However, Mary Earps wears the standard England goal keeper kit that Jordan Pickford wears.”
Earps herself said last month: “I can’t really sugarcoat this any way so I’m not going to try. It’s hugely disappointing and very hurtful
“It’s something that I’ve been fighting behind closed doors. I’ve been desperately trying to find a solution with the FA and with Nike.
“For my own family, friends and loved ones not to be able to buy my shirt, they’re just going to come out and wear normal clothes. All my team-mates, they’ve ordered a lot of shirts for their friends and family.”
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