Fifa standing firm on poppy request for England vs Scotland World Cup Wembley qualifier

Laurence Griffiths/Getty Images
Matt Slater2 November 2016

Fifa looks set to ignore calls to allow British footballers to wear poppies to commemorate Remembrance Day in next week's World Cup qualifiers.

The laws of the game state that players' equipment should not carry any commercial, political or religious messages, but it had been hoped that players would be allowed to at least wear poppies on armbands when England meet Scotland at Wembley on November 11, Armistice Day, and Wales host Serbia in Cardiff the following evening.

That was the compromise that was granted by Fifa in 2011, when England, Scotland and Wales wore armbands with poppies on in three November friendlies.

The Football Association asked Fifa for a similar ruling this year but received a short written reply from new secretary general Fatma Samoura that "drew attention" to law 4, paragraph 4, the section that contains the ban on commercial, political or religious messages.

The FA and its Scottish and Welsh counterparts had hoped to persuade Samoura to soften her stance at a dinner in London on Wednesday evening, before Thursday's meeting of the International Football Association Board, the body that makes the game's laws.

But it now seems Samoura and her boss, Fifa president Gianni Infantino, are in no mood to back down.

"Fifa fully respects the significance of commemorating Remembrance Day on 11 November each year," a Fifa spokesperson told Press Association Sport.

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"The laws of the game are overseen by the International Football Association Board and applicable to all 211 member associations. The relevant law 4, para. 4, clearly states that the players equipment should not carry any political, religious or commercial messages.

"The laws are applied uniformly in the event of similar requests by any member association to commemorate similar historical events."

Fifa's position has already provoked an angry response from the British media, politicians and veterans groups, with Theresa May joining the fray in Wednesday's Prime Minister's Questions.

May told MPs: "I think the stance that has been taken by Fifa is utterly outrageous.

"Our football players want to recognise and respect those who have given their lives for our safety and security. I think it is absolutely right that they should be able to do so."

She added that it was a matter for the British FAs but there was a "clear message" from the House of Commons that "we want our players to be able to wear those poppies".

And in a direct message to the Swiss-based governing body, which has been plagued by corruption allegations, she said: "Before they start telling us what to do, they jolly well ought to sort their own house out."

Earlier in the day, Damian Collins, chairman of the Commons Sports Committee, told the BBC that the ban was "insulting" to British fans.

"Someone has shared with me on social media an Ireland football shirt that has a special embroidery on marking the centenary of the Easter Rising," he said.

"Fifa allow that, so I think people will find it astonishing that the poppy's not allowed."

The FA has tried to keep a dignified silence since the story broke on Monday and has been optimistic that it could persuade Fifa to relax its rules, particularly given the 2011 precedent and the fact this year marks the 100th anniversary of the Battle of the Somme.

It has become clear, however, that the new regime at Fifa - Infantino has only been in place since February - is determined to uphold its laws and keep politics out of the game, as much as possible. Press Association Sport also understands that Infantino believes the 2011 compromise was a mistake.

The question now is whether the FA and SFA will simply ignore Fifa's restatement of the laws and go ahead with their plans to wear poppies on armbands, as well as poppies on their training tops and a number of other plans to mark the occasion.

FA chairman Greg Clarke gave a strong hint as to what is likely to happen next Friday.

Speaking to ITV at a grassroots football event in Cumbria, Clarke said: "My personal opinion, and actually the same opinion I hold as the chair of the FA, is that of course we should wear poppies.

"We're commemorating millions of people who gave their lives in wars over the last 100 years and they deserve that, and the people who lost relatives deserve that, and that's our plan.

"We're balancing respect for the fallen and their families, with respect for the governing body, and we're negotiating in good faith with Fifa to try and find a solution, but there will be poppies at Wembley."

This could, of course, mean there will be poppies projected on the big screens and on fans' chests but there are many inside and outside the game that doubt Fifa's appetite to actually hit England, Scotland or Wales with a serious penalty, such as a points deduction.

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