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It is a subtle tribute, the poppy; a simple yet powerful commemoration of those who paid the ultimate sacrifice; a mark of respect from a culture that owes its freedom to those who gave their lives for this country.
Such subtlety was blown apart this week when FIFA’s decision not to allow England to wear poppies on their shirts sparked outrage. The row has grown ugly as more and more high profile figures have waded in to decry the ‘outrageous’ and ‘ridiculous’ ruling from the governing body of world football.
The ruling from FIFA stated that shirts ‘should not carry any political, religious or commercial messages’. Yet nowhere did it state that commemoration was banned. In fact not only were poppy armbands allowed but there was a one minute silence before the game, as well poppies on training tops and anthem jackets. A wreath was also laid in the centre circle during the national anthem.
FIFA’s decision may seem ridiculous on some levels but they apply the same rule to every international team throughout the world. They cannot afford to be accused of double standards by granting England’s request but not others. If messages or images were allowed on shirts at every team’s discretion, what would stop a country like Iran sporting anti-Semitic imagery, or Uganda putting anti-gay symbols on their shirts? FIFA are simply trying to protect football in the best way they can.
The reaction to the decision, however, can also been seen as over the top. Does David Cameron not see the irony of standing up in the House of Commons in his capacity as Prime Minister and urging FIFA to change their decision because the poppy issue is not a political one?
With widespread public outcry over FIFA's ruling, the issue has escalated rapidly. Instead of England simply accepting the decision and focusing on alternative ways to publicly commemorate the fallen, the issue has dragged on to the extent that the attention is focused not on remembrance but on yet another ugly PR battle between FIFA and the FA.
The problem needs to be put into perspective. Does the decision mean England players won’t be honouring the fallen? Of course it doesn’t. Respect can be shown whether the poppy on the kit or not.
The rise of a ‘poppy culture’ in our society in the last few years has made the issue of wearing a poppy much bigger than perhaps it needs to be. The current view seems to be that poppies are almost compulsory and anyone in the public eye who does not wear one seems to come in for a great deal of criticism. Jon Snow, the Channel 4 newsreader labelled the craze “poppy fascism” in 2009 after he was accused of dishonouring the nation’s war dead for not wearing a poppy on television. Snow argued that our soldiers died for our freedom and as such he was free to wear one when he wished to, citing Remembrance Sunday as the time when he would wear his.
The uproar over FIFA’s decision seems to be an extension of this “craze”. Let’s go back to November 10, 2001. Just like this year, England were playing a friendly on this date. The match was played at against Sweden at Old Trafford. As the clip below shows: no armbands, no poppies. Yet no widespread outrage.
Even two years ago, there were eight Premier League teams that did not intend to have poppies on their shirts over Remembrance Weekend. Following a highly aggressive campaign from a national newspaper, labelled in some quarters as ‘bullying’, all but two clubs agreed to wear poppies on their kits. One of the two clubs that didn’t, Manchester United, stated at the time that ‘We don’t think it’s particularly necessary. We sell poppies around the ground and all our officials wear them and we work with Armed Forces charities in a lot of other ways throughout the year.’
Ultimately, it makes very little difference whether England players wear poppies on their shirts or their armbands. That poppies were not even considered for England shirts during a similar fixture ten years ago and were not even widespread in the Premier League just two years ago makes a lot of the uproar against FIFA seem somewhat hollow. Our fallen soldiers were still commemorated then as they are now.
Perhaps the wisest comment has come from England Under-21 manager Stuart Pearce, who said that "Whether I understand it or not, you ask the question, they give a decision and you get on with it, that is the nature of it - but whether you have anything emblazoned on your shirt at the time, it is what is in your heart which matters,"
It is a sad conclusion that this year the poppy has come to represent a row over what the England kit should look like. A time of commemoration for our fallen soldiers has been usurped. Their sacrifice was not made so that the FA and FIFA could play politics with their memory.
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