FIFA and poppies

Theresa May has said that it is "utterly outrageous" that FIFA have ruled that poppy logos may not be used on the shirts of the players in the forthcoming England v Scotland qualifier. I know this is a delicate and controversial subject, so I just want to share the questions that it prompted as I reflected upon it.

1. Is is a "poppy ban"?
No - it's a blanket ban. The ban is against all symbols which have a political or religious connotation. When the question about poppies was put to FIFA, it ruled them out on this basis (as it did in Nov 2011) - hence the row. FIFA has to deal with all kinds of sensitivities over symbols and logos all over the world, and in many situations (just think of the Middle East, or even the Balkans, for example) a symbol or logo can be highly inflammatory. Nearer to home, the poppy has become identified with one side in the divisions of Northern Ireland, and has a political connotation there, even if it hasn't in the rest of the UK. And we have to bear in mind that just because something hasn't a political or religious connotation for me, it doesn't mean it doesn't for anyone.

For an England v Scotland game, all players have roots in the respective nations, both of which observe the remembrance ceremonies. In such a context, blanket rules can appear harsh. But might it not be safer to abide by them, rather than risk setting a precedent which could lead to something much more controversial elsewhere? That is the kind of question FIFA has to wrestle with.

This was all expressed very well by Rory Smith on Radio 5 Live

2. Surely wearing a poppy is voluntary?
Wearing poppy logos on football kits is a fairly recent initiative as far as I am aware. It now routinely happens for league games on the weekend of Remembrance Sunday. I have sometimes wondered what players from other nations make of it, and I also noted that it effectively makes wearing a poppy compulsory. There was considerable controversy when James McClean refused to wear a logo shirt in 2014. Regardless of what we make of his particular reasons, we should at least note that this has effectively made poppy wearing compulsory for footballers.

Likewise, there is considerable pressure on those appearing on TV over this period to wear a poppy, and not doing so generates controversy. Looking at some of the ostentatious poppies that have been worn on X-Factor, etc, I have wondered whether we are beginning to miss the underlying meaning. The simplicity of the original poppy was surely part of the point, and the value was that is was a voluntary act, expressing support for the families of the fallen, and those who were injured in conflict.

As the Royal British Legion themselves say:

"Wearing a poppy is a personal choice and reflects individual and personal memories. It is not compulsory but is greatly appreciated by those it helps – our beneficiaries: those currently serving in our Armed Forces, veterans, and their families and dependants."

Obliging people to wear a poppy under pressure is no way to generate the respect and observance which the most vocal proponents desire. Indeed it can be very counter-productive, as Dominic Sandbrook noted last year in (of all things) the Daily Mail!

3. Why Now, and Why This?
Back in the 1940s and perhaps even in the early 50s, some active players would have served in the forces. Some died, others were injured, and all would have had clear memories of the war - whether from home, or from active service. What is curious is that the same pressure to have logo shirts doesn't seem to have been around. I can only speculate that for them, the civic and church ceremonies of remembrance were a sufficient expression of loss, sadness and respect. I expect most wore poppies on the clothes they wore on the way to the match, but not on the pitch. It made me wonder why it wasn't enough to mark remembrance in other ways - e.g. laying a wreath and/or a silence before the match starts. Why does the poppy have to be on the football shirt itself for respect to be properly expressed?

Perhaps it tells us something about where people find and express meaning, now that only a small proportion of the population do so in church. Perhaps these civic signs and symbols express and convey what religious symbols used to do, and that is why they become loaded with such emotion. I also wonder whether in this context of brexit, it reveals that (at least some) Brits want to assert themselves against another international organisation perceived as telling them what to do. Given FIFA's recent track record, it's not surprising they're getting criticised.

I'll finish with what I wrote 6 years ago on the subject of poppies, in the context of the Scottish Premier League insisting on poppies for all SPL football kits that weekend:

"If the controversy focuses on the external symbols of remembrance, then we're missing the point. Wearing a poppy doesn't create respect for those who have died - respect is something that has to come from somewhere deeper than that. For others, remembrance is something they wish to keep discreet and internal, and not be forced into expressing it in a fixed form dictated by society at large. 

So I won't judge anyone on whether they happen to be wearing a poppy or not. I will be wearing one today and on Sunday as I remember the tragedy and loss of war, with so much potential and possibility cut short and as I pray that wars on such scale are never seen again. 

My grandfather survived the trenches. I think he only ever spoke 5 or 6 sentences about it in all the time I knew him. He remembered, and I got the impression that he would have been all too happy to forget most of what he had witnessed. We remember his companions who didn't return, and their suffering and sacrifice in the hope that it will inspire future generations to seek justice and peace in a troubled world." Nov 11 2010

Musing about sport

Image via WikipediaWhich is your big sport story (assuming you're bothered)? England playing well in the Ashes series, or the failure to bring the FIFA World Cup back to England in 2018? We probably ought to wait to the end of the series before saying anything too much about cricket, but it seems to be going well to date.

The World Cup bid debacle was fascinating. No-one ever thought it was in the bag, but the story goes that 7 votes were agreed on handshake, the technical report and presentations all went well, and all the big names were there. Whether it was Panorama, the wider British media, backroom deals or something more dishonest may never be know, but those votes evaporated. It did seem odd to do 2 bids at once - horsetrading was bound to result, rather than assessing each on its merits. And then, surprise, surprise, the idea of taking the World Cup to new countries was heralded. If we'd known that at the start, we wouldn't have bothered - it's a perfectly laudable aim, but you've wasted our time and money FIFA.

One question: if you discover allegations of corruption and make a programme about them, should you wait out of expediency or expose it immediately?

Meanwhile the domestic football action has had its moments. Chelsea wobble, other 'big 4' teams have their moments, Liverpool FC recover or do they, Blackpool entertain every time, and Bolton Wanderers start playing a passing game. After a poor start, Nottingham Forest have been moving up the table and acquire Aaron Ramsey for a loan period, but Morecambe look like they may be in a relegation battle.

In the FA Cup we nearly had Wimbledon vs MK Dons, and theoretically we could still see Man Utd come up against FC United of Manchester, the team formed as a protest against the Glazers. Now there's a game I want to see.

Related articles

• Afekafe upstages the 'Three Lions' (independent.co.uk)
• 'I want nothing more to do with Fifa' - acting FA chairman quits (guardian.co.uk)
• Arsène Wenger says Fifa World Cup decision was from 'middle ages' (guardian.co.uk)

Less than the sum of the parts

Half of me wants to avoid any further World Cup comment, but the other half needs to get it out my system, so apologies to the uninterested. Please feel free to ignore.

All of the English football following public are now trying to understand why it is that England fall short of expectations every time one of these major tournaments come around. Somehow when it comes to the crunch, we rarely witness a competent and confident performance. Qualification is frequently a trauma, and when we do eventually get through, there's usually a bit of craziness - whether the 'Hand of God' in '86, sendings off or the nightmare of a penalty shoot-out. Even in 1990, England's best result since 1966, the team started slowly, struggled to win, and had 3 games in a row go into extra time.

To put it simply, the England team is usually less than the sum of the parts, and many of our fellow competitors are the reverse - this year think Switzerland, Serbia and even North Korea to name a few.

Quite apart from my personal (but not very serious) theory that England play better in red than white (think '66) there does seem to be a long shadow over English football. Maybe some of that comes from the win in '66 - there is always something in the air that says we ought to be able to do it again, whereas if England had never won, a quarter-final would seem a pretty decent outcome. Whatever the cause, good and occasionally brilliant players become ordinary and passionate players go flat. Mind you, England did badly in 1950...

So is it the manager? In Capello, we've got an expensive manager with a very good club track record. As a technician he has been very capable through qualification, but I do wonder whether it gets harder for a foreign manager to motivate a team when that seems to be the relevant issue. His reputation is as someone distant, yet England looked like a team that needed a good talking to from someone who's been there. Of course Pearce is available...

He also has seemed to be quite inflexible. One issue that seems to blight a lot of managers is having the nerve to leave out big names if they're not performing well. Sven and McLaren had their favourites, and so does Capello. Even if the team sheet is a secret until 2hrs beforehand, we know some of the names that will be there, which presumably makes it all the harder for those in the dark.

Lots of people are commenting on the formation. England have been devoted to 4-4-2 for a long time (although they won the World Cup playing 4-3-3 and Robson changed things during Italia 90.) Perhaps the obvious thing to say is that a formation should be chosen which brings the best out in the players - didn't seem to be the case for the last 2 matches. Also worth noting that although 4-4-2 used to be standard British tactics, the "big 4" don't tend to use it. Interesting to think what a 4-2-3-1 (Liverpool's shape) England would look like.

And that 2hr notice thing. David James certainly seemed less than impressed with how the goalkeeper situation had been dealt with, and how can a defence prepare as a coherent unit and team if they don't even know who's playing.

Ah well, it's easy to criticise from an armchair. History would suggest that England will revive, win the next game, and go through to the knock-out stage, thus raising all kinds of ridiculous hope. They will then crash out with a sending off or losing on penalties in a subsequent round.

Not a great weekend to be English

A very lacklustre performance by the England football [soccer] team against Japan leaves me thinking that we stand very little hope of making significant progress in the tournament. 1/4 final would be good going on todays' showing. At least Joe Hart's a good goalkeeper.

Meanwhile the UK comes bottom in the Eurovision song contest. I didn't watch. My friend Steve did, so read his review here

Tangerine Dream

Image via Wikipedia

was perhaps the most predictable headline I spotted in reference to Blackpool's promotion to the Premier League. Celebrations dominated the town yesterday. Even as a Forest supporter, I have to acknowledge their achievement. Next season will be a huge challenge, but the experience of promotion has obviously been fantastic for the town, and will hopefully bring some much-needed new money into the economy. Meanwhile, not to be outdone, neighbouring Fleetwood Town FC also registered a more modest success by gaining promotion from the Blue Square North to the Blue Square Premier League. Only 4 more promotions to go, lads.

As the league seasons draw to a close, it's been interesting to see that the England World Cup preparations have been much more low key this time round. Capello's regime is obviously geared to less hype and more focus. I saw the last 20 minutes of the friendly game against Mexico, and it showed England in typically unconvincing mode, although the result was a positive to take away. Whether it helped the manager to decide on the 7 players to leave at home, I wouldn't like to guess, but Gareth Barry's fitness will probably make one decision for him.

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The World Cup cometh

Image via Wikipedia

Taking a look at a little booklet about the FIFA World Cup (not other lesser sports), I thought I'd check if there was any chance of following England's progress. In fact it's looking quite good. (please check with other guides before finalising your arrangements!)

The 3 games we can be sure of are:

• England v USA. Sat June 12 @ 7-30pm
• England v Algeria. Fri June 18 @ 7-30pm
• England v Slovenia. Wed June 23 @ 3pm

If England win group C, the next game is Sat June 26 @ 7-30pm
If England are 2nd, the next game is Sun June 27 @ 3pm

Ok then it gets complicated if you're optimistic enough to think we might get this far. I think the following is correct, but please correct me if it's not.

If they play on Saturday and win, the 1/4 final would be on Friday July 2 @ 7-30pm.
If they play on Sunday and win, the 1/4 final would be on Saturday July 3 @ 3pm.

The July 2 match leads to a semi-final on July 6 at 7-30pm
The July 3 match leads to a semi-final on July 7 at 7-30pm

The World Cup Final is Sunday July 11 at 7-30pm. Should be back from Evening Prayer. Dream on...

An Eventful Saturday

It was quite a day. The morning was filled with the Run 4 the World fun run. R4TW is organised by Martin Bateman, and runs took place on the same day all around the world. 3/4 of the money raised goes to 3 projects around the world, with 25% going to a local concern. Morecambe Promenade saw 240 runners (the biggest single group worldwide) and so far nearly £4,000 raised. I foolishly ran most of the 5km and the legs are suffering now. Maybe next year I'll actually prepare for it. Respect to the front guys who did it in 18 minutes or so, especially with the wind against us in the 2nd half.

Then in the afternoon, off to Christie Park to witness Morecambe beating Aldershot 1-0 to get into the play-offs. Gary Hunter nicely tapping in a Paul Mullin cross sealed the deal. Morecambe actually finished 4th, so get the second leg of the semi-final at home. Didn't expect that earlier in the season. It was originally to be the final game at the old ground, but now there will be one more. Biggest crowd since the 1940s gave it a fantastic atmosphere. League 1 for the new ground? It's still possible.

It isn't decided yet

And that's only the football. I'm looking forward to the last home league match at Christie Park on Saturday. Morecambe play promotion rivals Aldershot and one point would be enough to guarantee the Shrimps make the League 1 play-offs, which is quite an achievement for a club still fairly new to the League. It's great that the final match will have a cup-final feel. Morecambe are one of three Lancashire seaside towns with serious promotion hopes. Blackpool play Forest for a chance of Premiership football next season, and a bit further down the football hierarchy, Fleetwood are in the Blue Square North play-off final. Sadly Lancaster City FC lost their final to Colwyn Bay, having finished over 20 points ahead of them in the League.

Given the season has been full of surprises (who's have guessed Spurs 4th and Fulham in a European final?) I wouldn't want to make any firm predictions, but wouldn't it be great for the Shrimps to start their first season at the new stadium in League 1? I hope they make it.

This morning I also heard an item on the potential for the great British seaside to have a good season with the recession (not to mention volcanic ash) limiting people's ambitions to travel abroad. The reporter was in Skegness, which was the nearest seaside to where I grew up in Nottingham. When I was a kid, I remember Skeggy and Mablethorpe were full of Nottingham people, the shops sold the Nottingham Evening Post and the pubs sold Nottingham beer. In the same way, I gather that Morecambe was the resort of choice for some northern cities and towns, especially Bradford. Hopefully this trend for domestic holidays might bring new money, jobs and prosperity here this year.

Another quick footie roundup

Condolences to Arsenal; their comeback last week against Barca was brilliant, but the mounting casualties must have taken too much out of them.

Congrats to Newcastle United. Promoted straight back to Premiership, courtesy of a Forest v Cardiff draw. Probably a fair result for the 3 & 4 team. Forest's away form has meant their automatic promotion hopes have gone, but they wouldn't have expected a play-off place at the start of the season, and that looks in the bag. A Forest-Cardiff final is still on the cards.

Meanwhile, Notts County could yet win League 2, and look promotion certs. 5-0 against Bury helped the goal difference and their latest win at Shrewsbury leaves them only 5 points away from Rochdale with a game in hand. A different team to the (Sol Campbell featuring) team that got beaten at Morecambe earlier in the season. The Shrimps still have to go to Meadow Lane.

Speaking of the Shrimps, they are getting close to the play-offs for League 1. If they make it, I presume this will mean one more game at Christie Park, which they leave for the new Globe Arena at the end of this season. The last 2 home games are ticket-only and should be busy and lively affairs. A play-off would be a fantastic end for the old place.

Just down the road, Lancaster City head the Unibond Division One North. It may not be quite so exotic as other leagues, but after the trauma of a double relegation and financial difficulties, it's a good sign that they are on the way back. I hope they make it.

Meanwhile I'm off to Anfield on Thursday with Jono to see whether Liverpool can still get some European silverware this season. There's always hope if Torres stays on the field.

Football (soccer) roundup

Nottingham Forest seem to be having a good stretch at this part of the season. Their latest victory over promotion and East Midlands rivals Leicester City leave them in 3rd position. Plenty of season to go, but it looks like the squad is coming together. The prospect of Premiership football again at the City Ground awakes memories of former glory, but should they go up this season, survival woud be a miracle next!

Meanwhile, Morecambe FC continue to move up the League 2 table. 6 wins in a row, thanks to the goalscoring of Phil Jevons and 4 recent clean sheets, has seen them move out of the danger zone and towards the play-offs. League 1 football would make a nice opening for their new Westgate ground which they move to next year, but still a long way to go.

Nearby local rivals Lancaster City are finally enjoying some modest success after a period of turmoil and slipping down 2 leagues. Currently 3rd in the Unibond League First Division North, they have 5 games in hand over the team at the top. Should be enough to see them climb further!

Winning

Just rubbed my eyes in disbelief as I saw Great Britain were 3rd in the Olympics medals table. This winning is becoming a bit of a habit. There are still some medal hopes to go, so it could get even better. Also noticed Australia were a little bit behind us, which must be causing large amounts of irritation down under.

Will success rub off on the England football team for their friendly tomorrow? I'm not that hopeful, but you never know. We certainly need a GB football team for 2012 - wouldn't seem right without one.

By the way, who would you pick as regular goalkeeper? I'd pick Robert Green (when fit)

Footie

Was starting to worry about Forest - slipping down from the top of League 1 after a number of off-the-boil games and a dispiriting cup run. At least they have returned to winning form today. Just need the competition to slip up a little to get the momentum back.

Meanwhile locally, it would be such a great boost to the area if Morecambe could get into League 2. They have been around the top of the Conference for a while now, and they may well make the play-offs again. I went to the last one against Hereford, and it was a great local event.

Lancaster City, however, seem to have lost all direction, and are heading out of Conference North, having lost 10 points due to entering administration. In understand some business people have a plan to revive the club, but looks like it will be a long journey back.

Footie first thoughts

Phew, through the first match and three points on the board. What did you think?

"Well, it was a game of two halves." [it actually was - in both senses]

OK I'll stop the cliches there, but England have got off to their usual shaky start, this time a little more successfully. No doubt the media will be full of "why did he take Owen off, put Hargreaves on, we're a striker short..." talk until the next shaky performance. Still, it was a great free kick that earned the goal.

Wonder what difference it would have made to our prospects over the years to have had a UK team?

Ryan Giggs would be one name that springs to mind, and what about George Best on the field in that fantastic match against Brazil in 1970? We'll never know, but I suspect more success may have come our nation's way. After all, it's very odd that one sovereign state should have four (weakened) teams. The privilege of being first in the game, I suppose. Also means we can't enter the Olympic soccer tournament.

We'll have to settle for how things are, but let's hope they play a bit better next time.


PS 8750 words.

Local footie

Went to a Conference league play-off today. Morecambe v Hereford. Score: 1-1. Probably a little unfair - a 2-1 win for Morecambe would have been justice. First game I have been to with so much at stake. probably their biggest crowd in living memory and Sky TV there. Had a good time with Jonathan (11yr old son). Good thing to do.

Moral Dilemmas

The BBC website today put up some sample moral dilemmas with a discussion. All are themed around taking one life to save another (or several others). The one I found really interesting was one about a trolley running down rails, heading for 5 people. You can pull a lever and send it to kill one person (who otherwise wouldn't be hit). Would you? If you would, would you push someone on to the trolley to stop it reaching the 5, even if it meant killing the one?

Tricky stuff, and I'm still deciding. Join in here

On another theme, I haven't logged anything about football. Coming from Nottingham, I'm interested to see if Forest's recovery in the second half of the season gets them a play-off place. All depends on the final match. Up here, Lancaster are struggling a bit, but Morecambe have made play-offs for a League 2 place next season. It would be a great achievement, and good for the town. Apart from that, we just have to feel for the metatarsally challenged England team.