Poppyscotland has blasted a decision by football body Fifa to refuse Scottish and English footballers permission to wear poppies at their match on 11 November. Over 200,000 people have signed a petition calling for them to be allowed.
Poppyscotland has slammed a decision to ban Scottish and English football players wearing an embroidered poppy on their shirts during their match next week on Armistice Day.
Fifa, football’s international governing body, refused a request by both nations for the World Cup 2018 qualifying match 11 November as it considers the poppy to be a political symbol.
As the charity responsible for running the annual appeal north of the border, Poppyscotland has blasted Fifa saying the freedom to chose whether to wear symbols such as the poppy is what people have fought wars for.
It has been joined in condemnation of Fifa by over 200,000 members of the public who have signed a petition on the Change.org website calling on Fifa to reverse its decision. They say poppies, which were first sold in 1921 by the Royal British Legion to raise funds for WW1 veterans, are not a political symbol and should not be banned.
We see no reason why the poppy should be banned from players' shirts as it is not a political symbol
Mark Bibbey, chief executive of Poppyscotland, said the charity will always advocate wearing remembrance poppies and praised those who have signed the petition.
“We see no reason why the poppy should be banned from players' shirts as it is not a political symbol and we welcome the campaign,” he said.
“We would hope that individuals who choose to wear a poppy are allowed to do so.
“The freedom to do such things is, after all, something which many have fought and died to preserve.
“For the same reason, we would also respect the right of those who choose not to wear a poppy.”
Fifa’s rules state that international teams are not allowed to have any political, religious or commercial messages on their kit.
However it has previously allowed the home nations to wear a poppy printed on to black armbands for matches previously around Armistice Day.
With this year’s game falling exactly on 11 November and being between two British sides it’s understood the preference from both England and Scotland would be to have the poppy displayed clearly on their shirts.
Scottish Football Association chief Stewart Regan said Fifa, as world football’s governing, body was “sticking to the letter of the law” but insisted it has it wrong.
He said: "I can understand why they (Fifa) are doing this, but it is nothing more than a mark of respect.
“It is a personal choice. This is not about making some political point."
A spokesperson for the English Football Association added: "We are working closely with the Royal British Legion once again this year to honour and remember the sacrifices made by those serving in the armed forces.
"In recent weeks, the FA has led remembrance discussions with FIFA to allow the England team to show its support for the poppy appeal during the World Cup qualifier with Scotland."
The change.org appeal, which at the time of writing has 202,281 signatories, was started by a John Nicol, who describes himself as a former RAF prisoner of war.
He says the poppy is a symbol of the “courage and sacrifice of our heroes cannot and should not be shunned.”
He adds: “The poppy is not a political statement at all. It could not be further from a political statement.
“It is a statement of remembrance and an acknowledgement of sacrifice from the First World War right through to the sacrifices of our young men and women today.”
PoppyScotland has called on those who wish to donate during the match to text Poppy to 70800 to give £3 or visit poppyscotland.org.uk.
