War veterans unhappy over Fifa's poppy ban

[ian1964 10,720]

War veterans have condemned Fifa for refusing to allow England to display a poppy on their shirts for the team's friendly against Spain on Saturday.

 

Fifa rules prevent any changes being made to the home kit.

 

George Batt, general secretary of the Normandy Veterans' Association, has described the decision as "disgraceful".

 

He said: "I'm lost for words. I can't see any harm in wearing a poppy. It's so sad.

 

"You surely don't need rules and regulations in Fifa like this?

What is Armistice Day?

Continue reading the main story Peter Crouch displays a poppy on his England tracksuit in 2009

 

Armistice Day is on 11 November every year

It commemorates the peace agreement that ended World War I in 1918

In America, it is known as "Veterans' Day", while many other countries call it "Remembrance Day"

In Britain, Remembrance Day is commemorated on the closest Sunday to 11 November

 

"I would think about 90% of the population wear them [poppies].

 

"I think it's a bit childish because, after all is said and done, if it wasn't for us blokes, Fifa wouldn't be here."

 

The players will instead wear poppies on their training kit at Wembley before auctioning it off for charity.

 

An Football Association spokesman said: "The FA are proud supporters of our armed forces and we are only too pleased to recognise those that have sacrificed their lives for the nation.

 

"The England senior team will proudly wear poppies on their training kit and all our staff and representative teams will stop to observe the Armistice Day silence."

 

A spokesman for Fifa said: "Fifa fully acknowledges the significance of the Poppy Appeal and the ways in which it helps commemorate Remembrance Day on 11 November each year.

 

"As a multinational organisation comprising over 50 different nationalities, the significance of this date will also be observed by many of its employees, who will remember family members too.

 

"Fifa's regulations regarding players' equipment are that they should not carry any political, religious or commercial messages.

 

"Fifa has 208 Member Associations and the same regulations are applied globally, and uniformly, in the event of similar requests by other nations to commemorate historical events."

 

The governing body added that a minute's silence would be held prior to kick-off on Saturday.

[Guest Dutchy]

I'm not a supporter of war, but I do always remember the lost to these conflicts.

 

There's something wrong at FIFA, more than just the high levels of corruption seaping from this institution.

[craig 5,199]

I dont really see that much wrong with what they have done to be honest.

 

They have their rules on what can and cant be printed on jerseys and they are sticking steadfast to them.

 

This is one of very few instances where I dont really mind them taking teh stance they have.

[GovanAllan 0]

There having a minutes silence which is far more respectful than whether you wear a poppy or not.