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England And German Players To Wear Poppy Armbands For Friday's Friendly

England And German Players To Wear Poppy Armbands For Friday's Friendly

Lest we forget.

James Dawson

James Dawson

England and Germany football players will wear black poppy armbands when they play a friendly at Wembley on Friday.

England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland were fined by Fifa last year for displaying poppies as part of the Armistice Day commemorations, as the ruling body believed they violated their rules around political symbols.

However, all four teams had previously said they would request permission to wear poppies during November's international matches following a revision of Fifa's rules.

Credit: PA Images

The FA was required to secure permission of England's opponents for the tribute to be given the go head, which it appears to have got.

Chief executive Martin Glenn said: "Remembering and commemorating the men and women who have served this country is ingrained in our nation. Many have made the ultimate sacrifice and we will be honouring them, both on and off-the-pitch, for our match against Germany. I would like to thank the DFB for also agreeing to wear the poppy for the match, in a show of solidarity and unity at this important time.

DFB president Reinhard Grindel added: "I positively welcome the decision to allow both the English and the German national teams to wear poppy armbands, because these are not about political propaganda in any way!

"They're about remembering the kind of values that were kicked to the ground in two World Wars but are cherished by football: respect, tolerance, and humanity."

Credit: PA Images

The FA and DFB also plan to commemorate Armistice Day on 11 November in a number of other ways:

  • RAF, Army and Navy representatives will lay wreaths before kick-off.
  • A period of silence will be held before kick-off and after the national anthems.
  • During the silence, the Wembley Stadium arch will be lit in red and 'Football Remembers' will be displayed on the stadium screen.
  • A banner parade, involving representatives from the military, will take place inside the stadium before kick-off.
  • There will be poppy and St George's flag T-shirt layouts for fans in the east and west stands.
  • Poppy sellers will be at Wembley Stadium in the fanzone, concourses and on Olympic Way.

A replica of 'The Truce' statue, which depicts the historic World War I ceasefire where peace and games of football broke out between English and German troops on Christmas Day in 1914, will also be on display beside the Bobby Moore statue at Wembley Stadium temporarily.

Lest we forget.

Featured Image Credit: PA Images

Topics: UK News, Football, England, friendly, Germany, sport news