For what it’s worth, I think it is ‘Poppycock’ (thanks Gary Lineker) that the FA has been fined £35,311 for displaying poppies on England shirts. That’s more than Croatia were fined for racism some three years ago. But I sort of understand it, even if I don’t agree with it.
The pro-FIFA argument goes that countries should not putting war remembrance symbols full stop. If you put it like that, you can think out of the box. What if Argentina, for example, wanted to wear shirts in remembrance of the Falklands (Malvinas) war, perhaps with a badge of the General Belgrano sinking? I suspect many of us would blow a gasket if they did that. Or what about the new countries of the Balkans or those from the old USSR? And the Six-Day war? I’ll bet Egypt would love that one, just before the national anthems.
Allow me to borrow from the British Legion website to explain the real meaning of the poppy:
The poppy is:
A symbol of Remembrance and hope
Worn by millions of people
Red because of the natural colour of field poppies
The poppy is NOT
A symbol of death or a sign of support for war
A reflection of politics or religion
Red to reflect the colour of blood
That, for me, is why the wearing of the poppy is different. It should not be controversial, it should not be banned and countries should not be punished for allowing players to wear them on their shirts.
And if the poppy is a symbol of remembrance and hope, our response to FIFA should reflect that. No need to launch into a volley of abuse and condemnation because I believe their motives are noble, albeit wrong and misplaced.
In appealing FIFA’s decision, we make clear to them the real meaning of the poppy, and wider remembrance, so we never go through this farce again. This is a million miles removed from politics, nationalism and celebration.
