Fifa red cards display of poppy

WAR veterans have condemned international football chiefs for refusing to allow the England team to wear poppies on their shirts when they play Spain on Saturday.

The Football Association had wanted players to display the Armistice Day emblem on the eve of Remembrance Sunday, but Fifa rules mean no changes can be made to official kit.

George Batt, general secretary of the Normandy Veterans Association, described the decision as “disgraceful”. The 86-year-old, who fought in the Second World War, said: “You surely don’t need rules and regulations in Fifa like this? It’s so sad. I would think about 90 per cent of the population wear them. I’m lost for words.”

However, the squad will wear poppies on their kit when they train at Wembley ahead of the match, the FA said. The special training kit will then be auctioned for charity. A spokesman said: “The FA are proud supporters of our armed forces and we are only too pleased to recognise those that have sacrificed their lives for the nation.

“The England senior team will proudly wear poppies on their training kit and all our staff and representative teams will stop to observe the Armistice Day silence.”

A spokesman for Fifa said: “Fifa fully acknowledges the significance of the Poppy Appeal. Fifa’s regulations regarding players’ equipment are that they should not carry any political, religious or commercial messages.”