FIFA says no to England’s poppies bid

FIFA has rejected the Football Association’s renewed plea for England players to be allowed to have embroidered poppies on their shirts on Saturday.

The FA had made a special request to FIFA for permission for the poppies to support Remembrance Day. The world body has now issued a “final statement” rejecting the plea.

A letter from FIFA to the FA sent said: “We regret to inform you that accepting such initiatives would open the door to similar initiatives from all over the world, jeopardising the neutrality of football. There are a variety of options where the FA can continue supporting the cause of Remembrance. One of them already was approved by FIFA, the Period of Silence.”

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Earlier, Britain’s FIFA vice-president Jim Boyce, from Northern Ireland, asked for common sense to prevail. “Armistice Day is a very important day in the FA calendar, as it is with other associations, and I don’t think it would offend anybody to have a poppy on the shirts,” he said.

England will be permitted to wear a poppy on their training kit, however, and Scotland players will also wear a poppy on theirs ahead of their friendly against Cyprus on Friday night.

There is no silence planned before the game in Larnaca.