FIFA disciplinary proceedings over 1916 Easter Rising logo.

[Lionel Ritchie]

What fiasco?
get a grip on reality.

Fair enough. Perhaps today fiasco is a strong word when FIFA are supposedly only looking into it. Soon enough it might not be if FIFA decide this merits something stronger than the five figure fines they've recently doled out to Iran, Kosovo and Croatia. I readily accept that before this week FIFA didn't appear to have given a monkeys about it. But now that it's been highlighted and others are seeking to cite it as precedent for their displays (England & Scotland) while political pressure has been created and placed upon the IFA to follow suit -FIFA might just decide to make an example of us to nip this thing in the bud.

[tetsujin1979]

Dug out the program for that game, strangely it had no mention of the emblem. Checked through the FAI's twitter and instagram accounts, no mention there either. Entirely possible they've all been deleted.

[BonnieShels]

my kids' Irish passports arrived today. Nothing like a surge towards fascism to motivate me to stop prevaricating.

The daughter passes the gut test so?

The wee fella was never a doubt.

[bennocelt]

Any reason why the IFA are not getting involved in this? Just curious

[bennocelt]

I was sure that the friendlies were under jurisdiction of the FAI and that qualifiers were under the jurisdiction of FIFA, making the issue of the Easter Rising commemoration nothing to do with FIFA.

Here is a debate I took part in yesterday on BBC World Service about the poppy jersey debate

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p04d8k19

Excellent, well argued.....good stuff

[Lionel Ritchie]

Any reason why the IFA are not getting involved in this? Just curious

I would say the IFA are trying their best NOT to get involved in this. But they now have the bould Nelson McCausland demanding the Northern Ireland team wear poppies as well ...another sauce for the goose argument. It's not like the IFA have to jump at Nelsons behest but it does create pressure and leads to more people joining his cause and indulging their victimhood when the IFA try to explain it's really not a great idea.

[geysir]

Our case is a minor matter in the scheme of things.
I'd say that the FA and SFA will be in much thicker soup if they carry on with their intention to openly defy a public Fifa warning to desist from their path of open dissent.

[Gather round]

Any reason why the IFA are not getting involved in this? Just curious

1 Unlike in England, Scotland, Wales or the Republic, we can hardly pretend that a poppy or lily symbol has close to 100% support

2 Given the fuss started by those needy Paralympians before the San Marino game, it makes sense to keep a low profile

3 It's more dignified anyway


PS if the punishment becomes more severe for open defiance as Geysir suggests, then here's a possible rejigged table:

Lithuania 2-4
---------------
Slovenia 2-4
---------------
Slovakia 1-0
Malta 1-0
---------------
(Scotland DQ)
(England DQ)

[geysir]

Any reason why the IFA are not getting involved in this? Just curious

Contrary to earlier disinformation the IFA did get involved

The Irish FA has written to football's world governing body Fifa to clarify whether Northern Ireland players can wear poppies on their shirts next week in a crucial match.
Officials made the request ahead of the World Cup qualifier against Azerbaijan next Friday, which is Armistice Day.

However, 52% of BT readers agree that the poppy IS a political symbol and 55% agree that the players should NOT wear the poppy.

Amongst many other aspects but when NI politicians get involved in the public criticism of players who choose not to wear the poppy, it becomes a political issue.

[Lionel Ritchie]

Contrary to earlier disinformation the IFA did get involved.

Happy to be corrected. Hadn't kept up with developments up there. I'm kind of surprised at them to be honest. But at least they're asking rather than demanding I suppose.

[geysir]

I'd regard it as the height of pigheadedness for the IFA (by IFA standards of pigheadedness) to be requesting permission for the players to wear the poppy on the shirt.

[BonnieShels]

And then when Niall McGinn refuses to wear it we will have Wullie going mental. Gas.

[BonnieShels]

https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/80903...sm=12&fit=max&

Guardian's take on the "controversy".

[Lionel Ritchie]

https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/80903...sm=12&fit=max&

Guardian's take on the "controversy".

Not opening for me. Meanwhile the Irish News is reporting our northern cousins will wear black armbands but not poppies following a clear-as-mud clarification from FIFA who "could not guarantee there would be no discipliniary proceedings" if the poppy was displayed.

I'm going to speculate this is what happens next

Northern Ireland -asked for permission (permission denied) -did not wear politican symbol - no further action taken.
England -asked for permission (permission denied) - defied clarification and wore political symbol - substantial fine.
Scotland -asked for permission (permission denied) - defied clarification and wore political symbol - substantial fine.
Ireland -did not ask for permission -wore political symbol - nailed to a wall.

[Gather round]

I'm pleased the IFA won't be wearing the poppy, disappointed that they even asked.

As soon as the symbol moves from collecting tin to players' shirts, it becomes effectively compulsory (and undignified, even before you consider all the halfwits sculpting it into their facial hair/ furry animal mascots etc.)

As a wise dissenter said on social media, anyone arguing it isn't a political symbol in NI needs their head felt.

You can probably now say the same thing of E, S, and W.

Delaney can pay the fine from his singing royalties.

PS belated thanks to Fixer for that BBC WS link above

[BonnieShels]

Not opening for me. Meanwhile the Irish News is reporting our northern cousins will wear black armbands but not poppies following a clear-as-mud clarification from FIFA who "could not guarantee there would be no discipliniary proceedings" if the poppy was displayed.

I'm going to speculate this is what happens next

Northern Ireland -asked for permission (permission denied) -did not wear politican symbol - no further action taken.
England -asked for permission (permission denied) - defied clarification and wore political symbol - substantial fine.
Scotland -asked for permission (permission denied) - defied clarification and wore political symbol - substantial fine.
Ireland -did not ask for permission -wore political symbol - nailed to a wall.

Here itis again:

https://www.theguardian.com/football...py-fury-season

[osarusan]

England and Scotland both wearing poppy armbands. Wales chose not to in the end.

[BonnieShels]

Lovely amount of jingoistic crap at the start

[geysir]

Fifa will now surely give the obstinate brits a pass on their poppy affection while burying us with a €50k fine

[TheOneWhoKnocks]

http://www.the42.ie/northern-ireland...78374-Nov2016/