Iceland has said it is “shocked and deeply disappointed” after receiving a legal warning from the Football Association (FA) over rebranding three of its stores in support of England ahead of the World Cup semi-final.
Stores renamed to hometowns of England players
The supermarket renamed branches in Washington, Chingford, and Stourbridge to “England,” as these locations are the hometowns of Jordan Pickford, Harry Kane, and Jude Bellingham respectively.
The FA issued a cease and desist order, arguing that customers could “wrongly believe” Iceland had a commercial partnership with it. It also said the decorations risked damaging the Three Lions and England brand.
FA demanded removal by July 17
The FA demanded that Iceland remove the displays and any related social media posts by 4pm on July 17.
An Iceland spokesperson said: “We are shocked and deeply disappointed that, on the day the whole country was getting behind England, the FA chose to send lawyers after us instead of celebrating the incredible support being shown for the national team.”
“Our shopfront signage change was in three hometown stores of Harry Kane, Jude Bellingham and Jordan Pickford and was about nothing more than backing England and creating a bit of excitement for our customers and colleagues ahead of one of the biggest matches in years.”
Timing criticised by Iceland
The spokesperson added: “What makes this even more extraordinary is the timing. Had England beaten Argentina, this letter would have meant us stripping away our displays, removing our social media posts and ending our celebrations just days before a World Cup Final.”
“At the very moment the nation could have been coming together to support England on the biggest stage of all, we were being told to take everything down. That’s something we find difficult to understand.”
The Express has reached out to the Football Association for a comment.
