FA to defy Fifa with England set to wear poppies

The FA is to defy Fifa by telling the England football team to wear armband poppies when the side plays Scotland on November 11.

In a statement, the FA maintained its view that the remembrance poppy did not a represent "a political, religious or commercial message".

Despite numerous pleas, Fifa had insisted that black armbands containing poppies were not to be worn during the match at Wembley - a decision which drew widespread criticism.

Prime Minister Theresa May slammed the move, describing it as "absolutely outrageous".

The FA had warned that it planned to commemorate remembrance day in defiance of Fifa's ruling.

And in a statement on Wednesday, the FA confirmed it planned to instruct England players to wear the armband.

England wore armband poppies in 2011 when they played Spain Credit: PA

The FA said it took its role as a founding member of the International Football Association Board "very seriously".

But it maintained: "The poppy is an important symbol of remembrance and we do not believe it represents a political, religious or commercial message, nor does it relate to any one historical event.

The statement added: "In keeping with the position agreed with Fifa back in 2011, and in what we believe is in accordance with Law 4, para 4, the FA intend to pay appropriate tribute to those who have made the ultimate sacrifice by having the England team wear black armbands bearing poppies in our fixture on Armistice Day".

The Scottish FA were quick to release the same statement in unison.

FA Chairman Greg Clarke warned Fifa that England would wear the poppy Credit: ITV News

Under Fifa rules, teams are not allowed to wear shirts with any commercial, political or religious messages symbols on them.

In November 2011, England were granted an exception to that rule when they wore the armband during a match against Spain.

However, the FA found no such leniency with Fifa this week, as football's governing body upheld their original stance.

ITV News understands Fifa Secretary General Fatima Samoura flew to London on Wednesday to meet Mr Clarke and others in a bid to resolve the issue.

Earlier, Mr Clarke had insisted "there will be poppies at Wembley".

He also said: "We're balancing respect for the fallen and their families. We're negotiating in good faith with Fifa to try and find a solution".