What is the FIFA poppy ban all about and why are poppies so controversial?
ENGLAND have been fined £35,308 by Fifa for wearing poppies in their match against Scotland.
Football’s controversial governing body had tried to ban the symbol, saying it was a political statement and couldn’t be used for the Armistice Day game.
But the FA let players show the mark of respect in the World Cup qualifier clash on November 11.
Why have FIFA banned players from wearing poppies?
FIFA tried to ban players from wearing poppies because the world governing body prohibits ‘political, religious or commercial messages’ being displayed on the pitch.
The organisation, which was raided by the FBI last year on corruption charges, even threatened to deduct points from both England and Scotland if they ignored the ban during their World Cup Qualifier at Wembley.
Despite this threat, the FA and SFA let players wear armbands featuring poppies and were willing to accept the resulting punishment.
England have now been fined £35,308 by Fifa for wearing poppies. The Scottish and Welsh FA have also been fined £15,692 while the Irish FA were fined £11,769 for similar offences.
In FIFA’s Laws of the Game, rule four states: “The basic compulsory equipment must not have any political, religious or personal slogans, statements or images.
“The team of a player whose basic equipment has political, religious or personal slogans, statements or images will be sanctioned by the competition organiser or by FIFA.”
In 2011, the England, Scotland and Wales successfully agreed with FIFA to wear black armbands featuring poppies during friendly matches.
However, Fatma Samoura, the FIFA's new Secretary General, has changed the governing body's stance insisting teams will be punished if they wear the armbands.
The heartless beauract said: “Britain is not the only country that has been suffering from the result of war.”
But while international teams are banned from wearing ‘political’ messages, British club sides are allowed to wear poppies on their strips.
Despite, this not all players chose to display the symbol.
Why does footballer James McClean refuse to wear a poppy?
Republic of Ireland midfielder James McClean has refused to wear a poppy while playing in England for Wigan, Sunderland and West Bromwich Albion.
The Derry-born player says that because the emblem represents all conflicts the British army has been involved in – including in his home country of Northern Ireland – he cannot wear it.
In West Brom’s match programme, before their Premier League clash with Manchester United last November, McClean said he would “wear it every day of the year” if the poppy only represented the brave war dead from the Great War and World War II.
Fourteen civilians were killed by Parachute Regiment soldiers during a protest in McClean’s home city of Derry in 1972.
The winger controversially turned his back during the British national anthem during West Brom’s pre-season tour of the United States.
Critics of McClean question why he is happy to earn money from English clubs if he disagrees so strongly with the country's recent history.
Why do some people not wear poppies in their workplace?
Citizens of the British Commonwealth choose to wear the symbol to remember the brave heroes who have died serving the Her Majesty’s Armed Forces in all conflicts on the anniversary of the end of the First World War.
While millions of Brits proudly wear poppies in their personal life, a select few choose not to display any kind of political message while in their workplace
Newsreader Jon Snow says he does “not believe in wearing any kind of statement” political or otherwise while he is broadcasting.
The Channel 4 journalist does wear a poppy when he is not on the air.
Similarly, ITV news presenter Charlene White does not wear a poppy when she is in front of the camera.
She says that because of broadcasting impartiality rules she is unable to represent other causes or charities on air and would feel “uncomfortable supporting one charity above all others.”
White’s father and uncle served in the armed forces and she has confirmed that she wears a poppy off-screen.
What is ‘poppy fascism’?
Some people chose not to wear poppies as a protest against a climate within Britain which they call “poppy fascism”.
This term refers to the huge criticism people face if they do not wear a poppy when they are on television.
In 2015, actress Sienna Miller was hit with an avalanche of abuse for not wearing the emblem while appearing on the BBC's The Graham Norton Show.
The Hollywood star later apologised saying she removed it because it started to rip her dress.
Opponents of supposed ‘poppy fascism’ claim that the symbol is supposed to represent the freedoms which our heroic soldiers fought to protect and therefore ‘forcing’ people to wear poppies goes against its very meaning.
Others, such as World War Two veteran Harry Leslie Smith, 93, refuse to wear the poppy because of recent conflicts in Afghanistan and Iraq.
RAF hero Smith, who has refused to wear the symbol since 2013, says "the spirit of my generation has been hijacked" by politicians to "sell dubious wars.”
READ MORE:
England fined £35,000 for poppies during match against Scotland
Why do we wear poppies on Remembrance Day, when should we put them on and where can I get one?
James McClean: Why does West Brom midfielder refuse to wear a poppy?