LONDON, England, November 5 – FIFA confirmed Saturday England’s players will not be allowed to wear poppies on their shirts to mark Armistice Day when they face Spain in a friendly at Wembley next week.
Veterans groups have protested FIFA’s refusal to allow the distinct red emblem — often worn in the run-up to Remembrance Sunday — to be emblazoned on English shirts for the Spain clash.
However FIFA reiterated its stance in a statement on Saturday, saying the world governing body had a blanket policy barring kit from carrying messages or symbols.
“FIFA’s regulations regarding players’ equipment are that they should not carry any political, religious or commercial messages,” the statement said.
“FIFA has 208 member associations and the same regulations are applied globally, and uniformally, in the event of similar requests by other nations to commemorate historical events.”
An FA spokesman said England’s players and staff would instead wear poppies on their training kit.
“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,” he said.
“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.”
