POPPIES FOR FOUR NATIONS

[josie andrews]

England's rugby league players will be wearing poppies this weekend, along with the other three teams involved in the Gillette Four Nations Series, the Rugby Football League have announced.

England, who play New Zealand at Hull's KC Stadium on Saturday, and Australia and Wales, who meet at Wrexham's Racecourse Ground on Sunday, will have iron-on poppies on their sleeves, while the Kiwis will wear the remembrance symbol on their chests.

The announcement comes in the wake of FIFA's decision to refuse a request from the Football Association to allow England to have poppies embroidered on their shirts for Saturday's friendly against Spain at Wembley, claiming it would "open the door to similar initiatives" across the world.

Prime Minister David Cameron stepped into the row, condemning the ban as "outrageous" and calling for FIFA to reverse the "absurd" decision.

RFL communications manager John Ledger said: "The England rugby league team have always marked Remembrance Sunday by wearing poppies on their jerseys in international fixtures played over this important weekend and we will be joined by Wales, Australia and New Zealand on Saturday and Sunday.

"It's entirely the right thing to do and all the players involved in this weekend's Gillette Four Nations fixtures will wear their poppies with pride."

The RFL have also announced there will be a minute's silence before both game

http://www.sportinglife.com/rugbyleague ... ons_Poppie

[Sutty]

Ssshhhh, don't tell FIFA.

That (FIFA) farce has really made my blood boil. I think the FA should grow a pair and wear them anyway. Then tell Blatter to shove any fine up his arse. It's an absolute, total and utter disgrace.!!!

[KOOCH]

Pity the namby pamby footballers did not have the balls to tell FIFA to stuff it and wear the damned thing.Do the mandarins at the FA honestly think that FIFA would call off the game if they wore the poppy? I think not! It's time that they realised balls does not only mean you have to kick it round a bloody football field.Spineless idiots!

[the winky one]

Totally agree, this country is tolerant to many creeds and cultures,but trying to ban the poppy and other similar
actions only causes tension,I think people are getting totally fed up with it.
Christmas trees are slowly being blotted out of our history,
and also the traditional school nativity play and goodness knows what else.

Thank god the RFL has seen sense, :eusa2: :eusa2:

[Sutty]

There are actually over 200 countries that wear the poppy as a symbol of remembrance, amongst them Spain, France, Germany and the UK. This just proves what a total ........... Blatter is and how detached from reality he really is!!

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-15637074