The Swiss-based international football governing body, Fifa, has allowed England players to wear poppies on black armbands in Saturday’s friendly against Spain.
This content was published on
1 minute
swissinfo.ch and agencies
“The England team will now be permitted to wear a poppy on the black armbands,” said a statement carried by the English Football Association.
The organisation added that the compromise was in line with Fifa rules which prevent symbols on shirts.
The issue provoked Prime Minister David Cameron to condemn a ban as outrageous. On Wednesday members of a nationalist group staged a protest on the roof of the Fifa headquarters in Zurich.
Observers say the Fifa announcement could bring an end to a dispute which led both Cameron and the president of the English Football Association, writing to Fifa.
They said poppies had no political or commercial connotations but were a universal symbol of remembrance of war dead.
You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here. Please join us!
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.
Read more
More
Fifa president looks to the future
This content was published on
In an end of year message published on the Fifa website on Wednesday, Blatter says that in addition to the upcoming competitions, a key focus next year will be “football leadership”. Blatter is standing for a fourth four-year term of office on June 1, at Fifa’s congress in Zurich. In his message he says he…
This content was published on
Sepp Blatter fiercely defended his organisation in a Swiss magazine interview and denounced England for reacting like an arrogant bad loser ever since Russia and Qatar were chosen to stage the 2018 and 2022 tournaments. “I’ll say it clearly: there is no systematic corruption at Fifa. That’s nonsense,” Blatter told the Weltwoche weekly. “We are…
This content was published on
The report by the global anti-corruption watchdog published on Tuesday urges detailed reforms such as independent investigations into past corruption allegations and an independent stakeholder group to oversee probes and changes. The organisation calls on Fifa to review how it investigates alleged corruption and to publish more detailed financial reports, including executive bonuses and staff…
This content was published on
The Swiss magazine “tschutti heftli” is a mix of culture and football. It has produced a collector’s album in honour of the 2010 World Cup in South Africa, featuring the works of 37 illustrators from Switzerland and Germany. The images are of 445 current players and 18 football legends and the proceeds from this alternative…
You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here. Please join us!
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.