let's get it right lads. Both England and Wales will be allowed to wear a black armband that has a poppy on it. It's a political compromise.
True dave,my original article was about England defying Fifa and taking the consequences(until Welsh posted and put me in the know),its a poor compromise for England/Scotland and Wales and i think if the FA had any bollocks they'd have held out for the poppy on the shirt.
If national football shirts cannot carry political, religious, or commercial messages, as FIFA says, then everyone would be playing in blank shirts, or topless. What do they think the umbro logo is?
Or the Fifa sponsored WCC badge the FA kindly allowed the Mancs to emboss onto their shirts and wear.
I think this whole situation is crazy. Why are we throwing such a tantrum because we couldn't wear a poppy for 90 mins during a game of football? England the FA should be ashamed - it's as if we want the rules bent purely for our own benefit (poppy and Rooney ban). Don't get me wrong - I wear a poppy and I think everyone else should, but I wear one most hours of the day for the past week or so and if I was asked not to wear it for 90 mins, I wouldn't have a problem with it.
Im not really an England fan 009 but Fifa are taking the piss and showing their contempt for a nation's right to show its sympathy to its war dead, Dont Barca wear shirts bearing UNICEF in large letters?,and is'nt England's friendly under the jurisdiction of Uefa as its only a friendly between European nations? Platini and Blatter dislike England and frequently abuse the power bestowed on them when it comes to English football,the FA's of England,Scotland and Wales should have just stuck two fingers up to the pricks and took the consequences.
I understand what you're saying and it seems silly that we can't wear the poppy (prior to Fifa's U-Turn) but all the fuss that has been made, including getting Prince William and David Cameron involved is just ridiculous. As I said, all the media attention, involvement from the PM and the Prince just so we can wear the poppy for 90 during a friendly game of football ...
But are'nt those 90 minutes the chance to show nations that show the game live or even the highlights that the English as a nation are rememebering their war dead? But like i said its more the issue with Blatter and English football that is my main gripe.
I put this on the banter thread but no one is on there so I may as well chuck my six pennorth in. These are my thoughts ; "Anyone else slightly bemused by the 'we simply must wear poppies on the England shirt or the world will implode' furore? We've had poppies and armistice day for half a century and only NOW is it so life threatening that it must go on the England shirt. Exactly the same as when PL sides first started doing it and the press gave United hell for not just joining in like lemmings, this despite the very consistant and obvious support of the poppy that anyone who has ever been to Old Trafford will be only too aware of. I buy a poppy or two every year without fail, I hold it dear to me due to me grandad serving in WW2, but I don't buy a ****ing great enormous one to show just how down with the whole thing I am. This all smacks of 'look how concerned we are' by the FA, driven on by our rabid hypocritial press, a simple display in the centre circle pre match and then the minutes silence would have sufficed, as it always has. I don't know why Britain has decided to ditch its dignity. Get on with it, stop bleating about it in the eye of the world. **** the rest." I'm fairly sure FIFA's attitude is at International teams only and as United and Barca are under UEFA's juristiction they don't fall into this category. To me it is a pointless argument, we should have risen above it and just treated FIFA with contempt, instead of having a hissy fit and then climbing down with a compromise gesture.
I just don't understand the anger to be honest. England have played plenty of times on or near this date and haven't worn poppies on the shirt. The worst thing about this for me is that its diverted the attention off John Terry. Its almost as if the FA have deliberately tried to blow this thing out of all proportions just to cover up the fact they called John Terry up while he was under investigation by the police.
Lets be honest Terry called Ferdinand a "b**** ****" and its there for everyone to see,and its surprising that ex pllayers like John Barnes & Viv Anderson who suffered racism bigtime dont have their say on JT retaining the captaincy after getting caught bang at it as opposed to getting caught banging last time.
I agree it is a desperate attempt at attention seeking by the FA when they should have other things to concern themselves with. Apparently we played Argentina on this date in 2005 and Sweden in 2001, why was there no fuss then? Possibly against the Argies it might have been seen to be political I guess but the reality is that no one had thought that it would be such a good idea then, so they made do with the usual wreath and minutes silence. It's just bandwaggoneering and there is no reason at all why they way it has been commemorated previously is not still quite sufficient. I just find the faux indignation of the flag waving press embarrassing the say the least.
