Leeds United supporters have expressed outrage after the club's new home kit for the 2024-25 season was unveiled, featuring the red logo of sponsor Red Bull on the traditional all-white shirt. The colour red is historically associated with fierce rivals Manchester United and the Lancaster rose, while Yorkshire's emblem is a white rose.
Fans have long held a deep aversion to red, with a former sponsor, 23red, having designed a blue logo specifically for the team's shirt. The McDonald's restaurant near Elland Road is believed to be the only one with red removed from its branding.
Daniel Chapman, author of 100 Years of Leeds United, suggested the hatred may stem from a sense of losing control over the club. “It’s maybe less about colours mattering more than they used to, more a feeling that there are fewer things about football that do matter,” he said.
Simon Rix, bassist of Kaiser Chiefs and co-host of the BBC Leeds United podcast Don’t Go to Bed Just Yet, noted that the anti-red sentiment appears to be a relatively recent phenomenon. He recalled owning a red Porsche jumper as a prized possession but said he would not wear red now.
Leeds fans are not alone in their colour sensitivities. Southampton supporters previously used an ancient legal process to protest red lights on the Itchen Bridge, and in 2015, red paint intended for Portsmouth's Spinnaker Tower was given away after backlash. In 2022, Amnesty International became involved when Newcastle United's kit leaked with Saudi colours.
