Fifa has been accused of double standards after controversially banning poppies from being displayed on players’ jerseys.
The world football’s governing body have ruled that teams are not allowed to display political, religious or commercial symbols on their kit.
However, British MP Damian Collins has questioned Fifa as to why this ruling was made after Fifa allowed the Republic of Ireland to wear a jersey commemorating the centenary of the 1916 Easter Rising earlier this year.
The Boys In Green wore a jersey featuring a special badge that contained the official logo of the 100th anniversary of the Rising during a friendly against Switzerland on 25 March.
Ireland football shirt marking centenary of the Easter Rising. Why won't #FIFA let England wear a poppy @BBCr4today pic.twitter.com/uGTwQr9Q5c
— Damian Collins (@DamianCollins) November 2, 2016
Commons’ Culture, Media and Sport select committee chair Damian Collins MP told the BBC that he has made contact with Fifa regarding the issue, citing this case an example of the organisation’s double standards.
“I have asked FIFA to clarify the issue over shirts worn by the Republic of Ireland because that appears to be an absolutely classic example of leniency being shown to other countries”.
England and Scotland are set to meet at Wembley on Armistice Day, November 11. Both FAs had talks with Fifa to seek permission for players to wear armbands bearing a poppy symbol for the game, but their request was turned down after it was deemed to be in breach of the laws of the game. This is despite the fact that this compromise was reached when they played each other in 2011.
Theresa May gave her two cents on the issue at prime minister’s questions on Tuesday. The British prime minister called Fifa’s decision to ban the wearing of poppies “utterly outrageous.”
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