England To Wear Blue Away Kit In Friendly Against Germany To Appease Fans, Nike

England's footballers "will wear blue when they face old foes Germany at Wembley on Friday," according to Charles Sale of the London DAILY MAIL. The decision has been taken "for commercial reasons" because color clashes with recent away opponents -- France, Scotland and Lithuania -- mean the blue change strip "has been worn far less than expected," and the FA wants "to be fair to fans who have purchased the replica shirt." It also demonstrates the "considerable influence" of Nike, which renewed its kit deal with the FA last season through '30 -- a 12-year extension worth more than £400M ($526.8M). An FA spokesperson said, "This will give England a chance to showcase their away kit before returning to traditional white colors for the visit of Brazil on November 14" (DAILY MAIL, 11/6).