A simple message to Manchester United: Why won't you wear the poppy with pride?
Liverpool players will wear poppies on their kit this November after the personal intervention of manager Roy Hodgson.
The Anfield club were one of only two sides to ignore last year’s Sportsmail call for Premier League teams to have commemorative strips over the Remembrance weekend.
Manchester United, the only other side who refused, have so far not said whether or not they have had a change of heart.
Blackpool
and Manchester City, who both wore the poppy with pride last year, were
last night unable to confirm they would do so again.
Backing: United defender Rio Ferdinand has told
his Twitter followers to wear their poppies but at present he cannot do
this with his club
All other 17 clubs have told the Premier League they will be wearing the symbol on their kits.
Last year’s campaign saw six clubs change their minds and rally to the Sportsmail cause.
Hodgson has been the moving force
behind Liverpool’s change of mind. A club spokesman said: ‘Roy Hodgson
wore a poppy at the last game against Blackburn and he feels it is very
important. We will be wearing shirts with poppies against Stoke on
November 13.’
The club
will donate the commemorative shirts to the Royal British Legion for
them to use to raise funds, and Liverpool will hold a collection when
they entertain Chelsea on November 7.
Sadly,
United are maintaining their stance in defiance of public opinion. Last
year, Sir Alex Ferguson’s side faced Chelsea on Remembrance Sunday at
Stamford Bridge in poppyless shirts, upsetting Chelsea Pensioners in
the stands.
The club refused
to discuss the matter last night, but last year said: ‘We are proud of
the work we do with the armed forces and we do not feel a poppy on the
shirt would add to our contribution. Our staff and officials will be
wearing them as usual and we are confident we are doing the right
thing.’
High-profile individuals at the club are known supporters of the poppy appeal.
Ferguson
sported one at press conferences last year and this week United
defender Rio Ferdinand has repeated a message sent by one of his 140,000
followers on Twitter.
The
message read: ‘Can you please use your Twitfam to remind everyone to
wear their poppy with pride. I salute you’. Ferdinand’s reply was:
‘Great shout.’
When Sportsmail launched the campaign last year — in response to an investigation by Charles Sale’s Sports Agenda — only 12 top-flight clubs had informed the Premier League of their
intention to have a poppy sewn on the kit. By the end of our campaign
six further clubs — Portsmouth, Fulham, Bolton, Aston Villa, Blackburn,
Stoke — had been persuaded to produce special kits.
United
and Liverpool said the flower symbol would not show up on their red
shirts, but that excuse was made to look absurd by Arsenal’s poppy
display and subsequent auction.
A
Premier League spokesman said last night: ‘Football has a proud
tradition of honouring the nation’s troops and all of our clubs maintain
close links with the armed services throughout the year. It is down to
each individual club to decide how best to do this, and we are sure all
20 will mark Remembrance Day appropriately.’
Sportsmail’s campaign last year spread to rugby as both the All Blacks and Wales wore poppies on their shirts for their Test in Cardiff.
Tottenham
boss Harry Redknapp said: ‘I’m in favour of everybody wearing poppies.
We keep seeing young lads in Afghanistan getting killed. It’s horrific.
They are so brave. You look back over the years and the people we’ve
lost. I’ll wear the poppy with pride.’
