BBC HOST Gabby Logan reignited the Mary Earps Nike shirt row after England’s heartbreaking defeat to Spain.
The Lionesses were beaten 1-0 in the World Cup Final on Sunday thanks to Olga Carmona’s strike.
GettyGabby Logan has reignited the Nike row over the replica England Women’s goalkeeper shirt[/caption]
AlamyMary Earps has already revealed her ‘hurt’ over Nike’s decision not to sell it[/caption]
Despite that crushing defeat, heroic goalkeeper Mary Earps, arguably England’s best player at the tournament, produced another outstanding display.
The 30-year-old stopper, who plays her club football for Manchester United in the WSL, saved a penalty to deny the Spanish a second.
Her performance went on to win the tournament’s Golden Glove to add to the Fifa Best Goalkeeper prize she received six months’ ago.
However, Nike controversially decided before the World Cup that they were not going to sell any replica England goalkeeper kits, including the two worn by the ace Down Under over recent weeks.
And despite Earps’ efforts on the pitch, it has still not been enough for the sports manufacturing giants to perform a U-turn and produce a replica kit.
Logan was hosting BBC’s coverage of the game this morning, and afterwards she continued the row with Nike live on air, saying: “She will have inspired so many little girls to go out and try and be a keeper in the back garden.
“Let’s hope that one day they can go and buy her shirts Alex as well. That’s the next move.”
England legend Alex Scott, who was working as a pundit, then responded: “That’s the next step that everyone wants to see.
BETTING SPECIAL – BEST SPORTS BETTING APPS IN THE UK
“She deserves this credit and this accolade. To go from being No 3 to No 1.”
Earps had previously spoken out about her disappointment at Nike for opting against manufacturing a goalie shirt for fans to buy.
She said: “I can’t really sugar-coat this in any way, so I am not going to try. It is hugely disappointing and very hurtful.
“My shirt on the Manchester United website was sold out last season.
“It was the third-best-selling shirt, so who says it is not selling? It is the young kids I am most concerned about.
“They are going to say, ‘Mum, Dad, can I have a Mary Earps shirt?’ and they say, ‘I can’t, but I can get you an Alessia Russo 23 or a Rachel Daly 9.’
“What you are saying is that goalkeeping isn’t important, but you can be a striker if you want.”
FA chief Mark Bullingham has vowed to try and rectify the issue, saying: “Mary is incredibly passionate about growing goalkeeping, as are we.
“We’ve got several schemes to get the next generation of goalkeepers coming through.
“We have got a plan for addressing that issue and it’s something we’ll get to after the tournament.”
Nike did issue a short statement after the final but the firm only say they will assess the issue for “future tournaments”.
TRANSFER NEWS LIVE: All the latest news, rumours and confirmed switches from the world of football