“At a time when genocide, war, the [general] election and so many other issues are weaponised in England, football has the power to unite a nation,” the Sheffield-born artist Corbin Shaw tells The Art Newspaper. “But it is always on a knife-edge.”
Inspired by the travelling fans who write their own messages of support and local allegiances on to Saint George’s flags—which will decorate the stands at England’s Euro 2024 group match against Slovenia in Cologne—Shaw has repurposed the national flag with the words “God Save the Team”. The work is at present displayed on billboards in London, Sheffield, Bristol, Manchester, Brighton, and Birmingham, as part of a collaboration with the street advertising company Buildhollywood’s “Your Space or Mine” project.
Responsive to the avalanche of often racist abuse directed towards the England players Bukayo Saka, Marcus Rashford, and Jadon Sancho after they missed penalties in the Euro 2020 final, Shaw’s choice of wording on his piece is intended as a reminder that when things go wrong, as they so often do for England, it is important to protect a group of players who have galvanised a younger generation.
The cross of Saint George, named after a Turkish-born Roman soldier who died in Lydda, Palestine (now Lodd, Israel), has come to symbolise for some a darker side to patriotism—partly due to its association with England’s far right. But Shaw believes that ”this England team are a real source of pride and feel representative of a diverse nation: they are genuinely likeable, and feel like the lads I went to school with“.
The England manager, Gareth Southgate, has fostered a connection between the team’s players and their fans. “God Save the Team” is a celebration of this group of footballers who, Shaw says, have put their club rivalries to one side for a moment and said: “for this one event, let’s all get together and do something good… we will try anyway.”
