Originally Posted by
jackal2
I wear my poppy with pride, but I respected James McClean's right to refuse to do so. That's what freedom of expression is.
The football authorities really should not assume that any gesture, symbol or campaign has universal, unequivocal support. They should not put players or fans in a position where they explicitly or implicitly feel obliged to go along with something, or where they could be singled out or abused for not taking part.
The players are there to play football and the fans are there to watch football, nothing more, nothing less. Leave the corporate politics, campaigns and gestures at the gate.