James McClean and other footballers’ reasons for refusing to wear poppy on kits
Wrexham star James McClean won't be wearing a poppy on Remembrance Day weekend.
The former Republic of Ireland international won't be available for Saturday's League Two clash against Gillingham, for starters. Having racked up five cautions in England's fourth-tier already this season, he'll be suspended for the fixture at the Racecourse Ground.
However, the Derry native has made no secret of his opposition to wearing the symbol himself, which is commonplace for clubs and players in Britain at this time of year. The 34-year-old has been vilified for his decision not to wear a poppy in the past, but his absence from Phil Parkinson's squad this weekend may dim the spotlight usually cast over him in November.
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However, there are others in the Wrexham side who may pick up the slack in his stead. Team-mates Tom O'Connor, George Evans and Anthony Forde each started in Saturday's FA Cup win over Mansfield and opted to forgo the tradition.
For millions of Brits, the poppy is a peaceful symbol to remember those who have died in war. Social media is awash every year with abusive comments about McClean for not wearing a poppy.
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While many see the poppy as purely a symbol for remembrance, some like McClean & Co see a political angle and refuse to wear the flower in the run-up to Remembrance Day. It was first worn after World War One, and it was used as a sombre reflection on those who had died on the battlefields where the poppies grew in vast numbers.
Former Stoke City star McClean was born and raised in Derry, Northern Ireland, and he sees the poppy as remembering the actions of the British army. The veteran winger grew up on the Creggan estate, where some of the 14 people killed in the 1972 Bloody Sunday massacre were from.
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British soldiers opened fire on unarmed civilians during a peaceful protest, which was one of the lowest points in the Northern Ireland conflict. McClean refuses to wear the poppy as it stands for all those who have been involved in British conflicts.
He said in a 2015 interview: “People say I am being disrespectful but don’t ask why I choose not to wear it. If the poppy was simply about World War One and Two victims alone, I’d wear it without a problem.
“I would wear it every day of the year if that was the thing, but it doesn’t. It stands for all the conflicts that Britain has been involved in. Because of the history where I come from in Derry, I cannot wear something that represents that.”
Former Manchester United star Nemanja Matic – now at Ligue 1 club Rennes – has also explained why he shunned the poppy, and it's down to a conflict that he was closely involved with. The Serb defender has chosen not to wear a poppy as he says it reminds him of NATO bombings of the former Yugoslavia when he was growing up in the 1990s.
Wearing the poppy has led to debate, because the flower means different things for different people.
It was first worn after World War One when U.S. woman Moina Michael persuaded the newly formed American Legion to adopt the flower for remembrance. It was designed “by women for the benefit of children." Special football shirts with the poppy stitched into the chest were first introduced in 2012.
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