FIFA has turned down a request from England and Scotland for players to wear armbands featuring poppies on Armistice Day, the Scottish FA says.
England play Scotland in a World Cup qualifier at Wembley on 11 November, the day when the United Kingdom traditionally remembers its war dead.
SFA chief Stewart Regan says Fifa, which bans political, religious or commercial messages on shirts, is “sticking to the letter of the law”.
Putting to one side respect for the dead, is this not just yet another attempt by the gutter press to make an issue to sell papers, or is FIFA actually in the right for once?
Remember, the question is not about whether we should respect our war dead.
Much as I hate to agree with FIFA, I think they’re right. Just wear an armband, it’s no less respectful.
The press are blowing it up out of all proportion to make a story. I wonder how they’d react if Scotland wanted to wear an emblem on their shirts lamenting 300 years of English governance.
Its entirely about remembrance and the awful, awful waste of young German, British, French (and those of other nations) lives that took place in the First World War as well as the young lads who saw nothing better going for them in life than to serve in the hot, wretched deserts of Iraq and Afghanistan.
Kind of understand both sides here… but the clincher is that whilst rememberence is not ‘political’ as we are remembering those who sacrficed their lives from all sides, its not so much the media who have politicised this as the politicians themselves. The fact that it now includes service men and women who have lost lives in the recent conflicts, means that as soon as the hypocritical politicians who sent them to their early graves stand at the cenotaph milking the moment, it becomes ‘political’… not an easy one to deal with despite it seeming such an unreasonable stance by FIFA… difficult an emotive
FIFA weren’t political when awarding the World Cup to Russia or Qatar?
Sport is political whether we like it or not, why can’t FIFA just say they hate us, be honest for once, corrupt to the core and using pc bollocks in their weak defence is low for them even.
If no religious symbols are allowed are FIFA going to ban England, Scotland, Turkey, et al from wearing their national flags on their shirts as well? After all, many countries have a religious symbols on their flags, and on their national football emblems (I know we don’t, but there is often a flag of St George somewhere on an England shirt).
Basically, FIFA is a corrupt arse of an organisation and they can go fuck themselves.
Where does it end though. We all have a choice whether to buy and wear a poppy. That choice is taken away if the poppy is placed on a item of clothing you have to wear. Do we make the police, firefighters, public servants wear poppies? No. Most of them probably chose to wear one out of work but there is no corportate wearing of them. What about all of the other worthy chartities that have their own fundraising/awareness days? Do FIFA do it for them too? No. The great thing about poppy day is that millions of people make their own choice to give money and to wear that poppy with pride. Players should be alowed to wear one to and from the match if that is their choice but I dont have a problem with them not being on the shirts. Most of the feckers barely sing to the national anthem as it is! In recent years much has been made of people wearing poppies on TV and some being told to wear them. Again, take away the choice and you take away the thing that makes it special - the fact that many, many people still choose to buy and wear one themselves.
FIFA weren’t political when awarding the World Cup to Russia or Qatar? Sport is political whether we like it or not, why can’t FIFA just say they hate us, be honest for once, corrupt to the core and using pc bollocks in their weak defence is low for them even.
haha
Could have put money on Bazza being the first to incorrectly use ‘PC’ in this case.
Barry to enlighten you. FIFA have a set of rules with respect to political slogans or symbols. This has nothing to do with ‘PC’ its a rule. The question raised by the FA and by some on here is whether the poppy is clasified or not as political symbol. FIFA have rightly or wrongly chosen to believe it is. Others dont believe it is.
This has fuck all to do with Political Correctness - This decsion has not been made on whether it migh help overcome inherent prejudices - So stop it, you are to PC what Alanis (haven’t got a fucking clue) Morrisette is to Irony…
