http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/15606557.stm 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? "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.
It may very well not be the french, but bloody french anyway, that cheese eating surrender monkey Platini or is it Steptoe I dunno
Simple dont play the game then ! This is typical of us british Please bend over !!!!!!!!!!! tell em to f off !
England have a racist in their ranks. Will they do anything about the Poppy ban? Methinks not. They care more about their own players than about real heroes.
What is political about a poppy?. It signifies every soul lost on those fields no matter their nationality. The real flowers don't just grow where British lads fell. When did common sense become a difficult higher education course?
http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/15643295.stm Fifa has again rejected the Football Association's request for the England team to wear poppies on their shirts during Saturday's game against Spain. The FA had asked for permission to wear poppies to support Remembrance Day. But Fifa said: "Such initiatives would open the door to similar initiatives from all over the world, jeopardising the neutrality of football." Football's world governing body decrees that shirts should not carry political, religious or commercial messages. Fifa has allowed a period of silence to be held prior to England's friendly against world champions Spain at Wembley, which takes place the day before Remembrance Sunday. England will also wear poppies on their training kit, and on Friday they will stand for a two-minute silence. Earlier on Tuesday, Sports Minister Hugh Robertson wrote to Fifa seeking permission for the England and Wales teams to wear poppies. Robertson said: "Wearing a poppy is a display of national pride, just like wearing your country's football shirt. "The British public feel very strongly about this issue - it is not religious or political in any way." British Fifa vice-president Jim Boyce added: "I think there has to be a bit of common sense used when requests like this come in. "Armistice Day is a very important day in the FA calendar, as it is with other associations, and I don't think it would offend anybody to have a poppy on the shirts." England midfielder Jack Wilshere tweeted: "My great-grandad fought for this country in WW2 and I'm sure a lot of peoples' grandparents did. "England team should wear poppies on Saturday. It's the nation's tradition and it would be disrespectful not to."
I watch every game, im England through and through even though we are crap. Im very proud of the country I live in and support England in every sport ESPECIALLY football. Go on Egland!!!!!!
