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The beaurocrats at FIFA have finally given in and let us wear our poppies, though they will be on a black arm band rather than on the shirts themselves.
FA Cup Winners 2013, sounds good that
The beaurocrats at FIFA have finally given in and let us wear our poppies, though they will be on a black arm band rather than on the shirts themselves.I reckon The FA should stack a couple of million poppies on the arch above Wembley and let them fall whilst the National Anthem is being sung.
It would be a fabulous sight, a great mark of respect and at the same time it would stick two fingers up at FIFA.Big fuss over nothing for me. Don’t get me wrong, personally I’m a great respecter of the poppy appeal and what it represents, but I had a quick nose around on my way into work and during the day over the last couple of days. I’d estimate less than 10% of the population were wearing poppies. It seems another example of us English thinking we’re morally superior to, and not subject to, the same rules as everyone else.
And as for Cameron jumping in… doesn’t he realise there’s a country that he’s supposed to be running that is falling to bits at the moment?
That said, I think Horc’s idea of poppies falling from the arch is great and would have been far more effective anyway. There would probably have been some rule against that too.
Like littering the pitch…. :ohmy: It would take a while to clean that up for the game to be played….
There has been calls for Armistice Day to classed as a national holiday, Labour used it to gain votes yet never actually did anything about it. Same with St George’s Day, the whole world has a national holiday for their patron Saint but us, but the same applies Griff, only 10% of the country actually know when it is never mind celebrate it.
FA Cup Winners 2013, sounds good that
I susepct the whole FIFA thing was due to their recent increase in support for Middle East countries and the religion they follow, who do seem to have a hatred for all things western and the Iraq and Afgan conflicts.
I’m gonna play devil’s advocate on this one as I can actually see (for once) where FIFA were coming from on this one – not saying I agree with it just that I can see why they took the stance they did.
The poppy is not seen as a political symbol at all by the majority of people in Britain & it didn’t start as a political symbol when it first appeared in the US. It is now mainly officially recognised in Commonwealth countries & America & there is some use of it in other western european countries.
However, like it or not & rightly or wrongly, there are some who view it as a political symbol & mainly those from countries who have lost people to the armies of the countries who use it – you only have to look at Northern Ireland where its use is extremely devisive. I can imagine that that applies elsewhere too.
As i say rightly or wrongly as the use of the poppy is supposed to be a symbol for remembering the war dead of all sides in a conflictAnyway, bearing that in mind, FIFA has to be seen as neutral & publicly had to be seen to be acting as such. Hence why they said they couldn’t allow it on the kit (which is FIFA sanctioned) as it could have then snowballed & led to other footballing nations e.g. Palestine saying they wanted to put something on their shirts to commemorate those who have died in the troubles there – Israel objects & the same could apply all over the world
As I say whatever we think of the poppy & its use FIFA has to be seen as neutral & tread carefully & I don’t really think they had any other choice.
As it happens the whole thing was really badly managed by all sides & the solution they’ve come up with is a sensible one & one that could have been arrived at behind closd doors & without all the hoo ha this has createdI’m not normally a great one for this – I have mixed views to be honest. If people want to wear poppies then good, but we do sometimes have the Poppy Police.
BUT… as soon as Blatter says I can’t do something because it MIGHT offend someone else then I become the biggest supporter there is.
In the scheme of things, does it really matter? The players and supporters can all buy and wear their poppies, they can place wreaths, they can invite members of the armed forces, they can have two minutes silence, all they weren’t allowed was to have the poppy embroidered on the shirt. Cameron’s “intervention” was purely a political option after the media-inspired frenzy. You agree or disagree with FIFA’s decision, but does it stop you, or anyone, wearing your poppy now?
Most of the tv presenters you see wear them but are they told to wear them ? Seems funny like Griff said that you hardly see any when you are out and about ! How many footballers would buy one off their own back anyway ? I do feel that the poppy thing is a generation thing and once the WW1 and 2 generation are gone it will slowly die out with them ! To name but three,I don’t think we have a day to remember the battle of Medway, the battle of Agincourt or the battle of Hastings do we ? I know the poppy is to remember all the war casualties but it was born out of the fields at Flanders and in my view represents the dead from WW1 onwards ! You dont see many people under the age of 25 wearing them which is a shame because it spells the slow demise of the poppy has already started !
It is a generational thing and the general feeling is that it marks the dead in the two world wars specifically. I know they’ve tried to update it to include all the fallen servicemen up to now, but I’m not sure whether that’s been self-defeating as there remains a lot of animosity about recent wars among a section of the population and I wonder how many people won’t buy a poppy because they think it condones the invasion of Iraq?
I’d disagree that the significance of rememberance sunday & the poppy seem to be waning – If anything i think that the awareness around rememberance sunday & the wearing of the poppy has probably increased significantly over the last decade or so. Probably coz the UK has been involved in armed conflict on several fronts during that time.
I never remember there being 1 & 2 minutes silences at 11am on the 11th November when i was young yet you see that happening in shops, in the streets & all over the place nowAt the school I work at the vast majority of the students are wearing poppies which they brought in themselves as opposed to the school getting them in & inviting students to buy em – as used to happen when I was at school many years ago
Its not stopped the Wigan Evening Post (or wigantoday.net) siezing on it as an example of rugby league being morally superior to those scum suckers at football towers:
http://www.wigantoday.net/news/players_talk_of_poppy_pride_1_3957250What would Blatter know about honoring the war dead? Don’t think many Swiss paid the ultimate price to win freedom. They just knicked the nazis treasures (and still have some!)
I’d disagree that the significance of rememberance sunday & the poppy seem to be waning – If anything i think that the awareness around rememberance sunday & the wearing of the poppy has probably increased significantly over the last decade or so. Probably coz the UK has been involved in armed conflict on several fronts during that time.
I never remember there being 1 & 2 minutes silences at 11am on the 11th November when i was young yet you see that happening in shops, in the streets & all over the place nowAt the school I work at the vast majority of the students are wearing poppies which they brought in themselves as opposed to the school getting them in & inviting students to buy em – as used to happen when I was at school many years ago
Its not stopped the Wigan Evening Post (or wigantoday.net) siezing on it as an example of rugby league being morally superior to those scum suckers at football towers:
http://www.wigantoday.net/news/players_talk_of_poppy_pride_1_3957250It’s the only way “poor mans union” gets in the spotlight, By keep referring to football. Never mind we’ll show them how to fill wembley (just one match) ;)
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