England fined £35,000 by Fifa for wearing poppies

Fifa have announced that England have been handed a fine of 45,000 Swiss francs, with Scotland fined 20,000 Swiss francs

Fifa have announced that they have fined the English Football Association 45,000 Swiss francs [£35,000] for wearing and displaying poppies during the 2018 World Cup qualifier against Scotland on 11 November even though Fifa regulations banned them from doing so.

Scotland have also been fined, although their sanction is less than half of their English counterparts as they have been hit with a 20,000 Swiss francs [£15,700] fine due to being the visiting team at Wembley.

Both England and Scotland defied Fifa’s rules on wearing political and religious statements and wore poppies in their Armistice Day clash at Wembley, knowing that they would face repercussions for their actions.

Images of poppies were also displayed on the stadium big screen and advertising hoardings, while fans in the Wembley stands also wore poppies in a sign of remembrance to those who have lost their lives at war.

England have been hit with a larger fine due to the FA organising the additional poppies that were seen in and around the Wembley stadium. The two associations were also disciplined for fan misconduct.

“Fifa can today confirm sanction imposed on several football associations for incidents during 2018 Fifa World Cup qualifying matches and international friendlies.

“England has been fined CHF 45,000 [£35,000] for several incidents in the framework of the England v Scotland match, including the display by the host association, the English team and spectators of a political symbol and several cases of spectator misconduct. Scotland, as the visiting association, has been fined CHF 20,000 [£15,600] for the display of the same political symbol and cases of misconduct committed by its own group of spectators.”

Fifa also confirmed that Wales and Northern Ireland have been fined for displaying poppies during their respective 2018 World Cup qualifiers against Serbia and Azerbaijan. While neither nation wore poppies due to the risk that would come in a large fine or a possible points deduction, they did display a poppy wreath before kick-off, and have been subsequently fined.

“Wales has been fined CHF 20,000 and Northern Ireland CHF 15,000 [£11,700] in relation to several incidents, including the display of political symbols in the context of the Wales v Serbia and Northern Ireland v Azerbaijan matches,” the statement added.