Fifa 'rejects England & Scotland request

to wear poppies on armbands'

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England are playing Scotland at Wembley for the first time since August 2013
Fifa has turned down a request from England and Scotland for
players to wear armbands featuring poppies on Armistice Day, the
Scottish FA says.
England play Scotland in a World Cup qualifier at Wembley on 11 November,
the day when the United Kingdom traditionally remembers its war dead.
SFA chief Stewart Regan says Fifa, which bans political, religious or
commercial messages on shirts, is "sticking to the letter of the law".
The FAs hope to change Fifa's mind.
MP Damian Collins - chair of the Commons' Culture, Media and Sport select
committee - has written to Fifa president Gianni Infantino asking for
the world governing body to reconsider its decision.

Separately, the Football Association of Wales says it is seeking approval for

its players to wear the poppy symbol on their shirts when they play Serbia at
the Cardiff City Stadium on 12 November.
The football associations of England, Scotland and Wales also want to know
what the potential punishments could be should they decide to flout the
rules.
Fifa, football's world governing body, has not indicated whether a points
penalty would be under consideration.
Regan said he and FA chief executive Martin Glenn would be meeting Fifa
officials on Thursday to discuss the poppy issue.
"We will be asking for their support to try to give the people of England and
Scotland what they want," Regan told BBC Radio 5 live.
"That is to use this match of a way of remembering people who lost their
lives in the war.
"I can understand why they are doing this, but it is nothing more than a mark
of respect. It is a personal choice. This is not about making some political
point."

From the archive: Why do people wear poppies?

Is the poppy a political symbol?

Listen: New York Times journalist fears "dangerous precedent"

if Fifa accedes

The compromise of wearing a printed poppy on an armband was brokered

for England's 1-0 friendly win over Spain at Wembley on 12 November, 2011.
A spokesman for the English FA said: "We are working closely with the Royal
British Legion once again this year to honour and remember the sacrifices
made by those serving in the armed forces.
"In recent weeks, the FA has led remembrance discussions with Fifa to allow
the England team to show its support for the Poppy Appeal during the World
Cup qualifier with Scotland."
BBC sports news correspondent Richard Conway says it is believed the new
Fifa administration under Infantino is "more sensitive" to such issues than
predecessor Sepp Blatter and a "rapid solution" will be found.

England are top of their 2018 World Cup qualifying group with seven points
from three games. Group F rivals Scotland are fourth with four points.
The top team qualifies automatically for the finals in Russia, with the secondplaced side possibly entering a play-off.
Wales lie third in Group D, behind Serbia and the Republic of Ireland.