THE FA will fight Fifa’s fine for letting England wear poppies in their World Cup qualifier against Scotland.
Fifa ordered the governing body to pay £35,000 after Wayne Rooney and Co sported poppy armbands in the Wembley clash on November 11, as well as flag displays and ceremonies by servicemen in the stadium.
But an FA insider said: “There is a chance of us playing competitive games in November, during the Remembrance period, on a regular basis, so we want to sort this out once and for all.”
Scotland were fined £16,000, while Wales received a similar punishment for the poppy symbols inside the Cardiff City Stadium during their game with Serbia.
Northern Ireland were ordered to pay £12,000 after the win over Azerbaijan the same weekend.
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An FA spokesperson said: “We intend to appeal and have written today to Fifa requesting the grounds for the decision.”
Fifa’s disciplinary committee chairman Claudio Sulser said: “In the stadium and on the pitch, there is only room for sport, nothing else.”
But the FA are prepared to take their case to the Court of Arbitration for Sport if their appeal is rejected by Fifa.
The FA insider added: “This is a point of principle. If we go to CAS, they will decide if the poppy is a political symbol or not — we don’t believe it is.”
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