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England goalkeeper Mary Earps has questioned a Nike statement regarding the unavailability of her replica jersey during the recent Women’s World Cup.
The Golden Glove winner at the tournament in which England reached the final spoke out before the World Cup when fans were unable to buy the women’s version of England’s goalkeeper jersey.
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Nike issued a statement after the World Cup final to say it understood the desire for a retail version of the jersey and was working towards solutions for future tournaments.
Earps posted the statement on her Instagram account with the question “@Nike is this your version of an apology/taking accountability/a powerful statement of intent?”
The Manchester United keeper also posted a link to a petition by Change.org which asks people to support Earps and all female keepers. The petition has more than 130,000 signatories.
Nike lost earnings potential after the U.S. women’s team suffered their earliest ever World Cup exit, but England’s run to the final provided an extra source of income.
“The demand for the Lionesses Nike jersey has been incredibly strong,” Nike said before the final on Sunday.
The England men’s goalkeeper jersey is available to buy.
Ahead of the tournament, Earps criticised Nike for not making the Lionesses’ goalkeeper kit available for sale,
“I can’t really sugar-coat this in any way, so I am not going to try. It is hugely disappointing and very hurtful,” Earps told reporters last month. “It is something that I have been fighting behind closed doors, I have been trying to go through the correct channels as much as possible.
“Which is why I have not spoken on it publicly, even though I have been asked a lot about it over the past few months because I have been desperately trying to find a solution with the FA and with Nike. Unfortunately, it has become very evident that is not possible and there is not going to be an acceptable solution for the young kids out there.”