Nike and Puma refrain from manufacturing football boots from premium kangaroo leather

TOP sports brands should stop making football boots from premium kangaroo leather.

Brands like Nike and Puma are eschewing pressure from animal rights activists and a crackdown in the United States in favor of synthetic uppers.

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Ex-England captain David Beckham stopped wearing his kangaroo leather boots in 2006 after he was sent pictures of animals being slaughtered for them.

US sporting goods giant Nike announced last week that it would no longer use kangaroo leather in its products by the end of the year.

They said their popular Tiempo range – worn by stars including Liverpool skipper Jordan Henderson – will use alternative synthetic fabrics in the future.

It comes after German brand Puma agreed to ditch kangaroo leather a few weeks ago.

Nike’s latest announcement was welcomed by Wayne Pacelle – the president of the animal protection group Center for a Humane Economy – who described it as a “seismic event to protect wildlife”.

Nike was a target of the group’s “Kangaroos Are Not Shoes” campaign video.