As remembrance events are held today to mark the end of World War II and the sacrifice of so many millions, FIFA is still making headlines for banning players from wearing commemorative poppies.

Today is Armistice Day, and England and Wales are this evening set to defy FIFA's long-standing ban on all "political, religious or commercial messages", and allow their players to wear poppies on their shirts during the World Cup Qualifier match.

This is not a new row – it erupted in 2011, resulting in players being allowed to wear poppies emblazoned on armbands, but not on their shirts.¹ Nevertheless, this year FIFA has stood its ground, and debate has once again erupted in the media over the politics of the poppy. Meanwhile, the rest of the British populace rolls their eyes at political correctness gone mad, wondering when it became unacceptable to commemorate the ultimate sacrifice made by so many millions during the two world wars. How have we got to this point?

The Race to Escape Politics

The debate over whether or not the poppy is a political symbol is an interesting one, but not what I wish to focus on here. Instead, I would like to draw attention to a different, but no less key, aspect of the whole incident: FIFA's blanket refusal to make what could be construed as a political statement.

Like so many institutions and establishments today, FIFA would rather keep its nose (at least, its public nose) out of politics, religion and commerce, even to the point of avoiding any cause that could possibly be construed as such. Contrary to media headlines, FIFA has not deliberately banned the poppy – but they have refused to "pre-judge" whether or not it counts as a political symbol, instead referring the case to a disciplinary committee, which will decide whether or not the rules have been broken.²

Perhaps this is understandable in the light of FIFA's recent political scandals. But ironically, the poppy 'ban' is probably causing more controversy than it prevents. Whether the primary driver here is a fear of losing mass support or a fear of inciting a lawsuit from some avid poppy-haters, it is a sorry state of affairs when concern for self-protection leads an organisation to pass up the opportunity to support a good cause, just because it could be labelled 'political'.

The Poppy Appeal has become collateral damage in a rather inconsistent attempt to erase all trace of politics from football (or at least from its public face). What does this say about the state of our society?

It is a sorry state of affairs when concern for self-protection leads an organisation to pass up the opportunity to support a good cause, just because it could be labelled 'political'.

The Postmodern Hatred of Politics

This may be a controversial point to make, but I personally believe that the essence of all politics is actually moral – since politics is about making arguments, statements and rulings about the good (and the bad) of society. It involves saying what we believe is good and worth pursuing (/legalising/promoting), and what we believe is evil and needing to be fought (/prohibited/eradicated), not just for ourselves but for the collective. When one shows support for a political symbol, message or cause, one is effectively making a moral statement about what one believes is good (or bad) for society. A political statement is a moral statement (and the reverse is also true).

The trouble is, in today's world, we have cut ourselves loose from the objective morality given to us by God – the true word of Scripture and the guidance of the Holy Spirit which help us to distinguish right from wrong. We have rejected the Ultimate Source of morality. And so in Western culture, in the absence of a true, objective definition of right and wrong, morality has become relative – what's right for you might not be so for me. We each 'do as we see fit' (Judg 17:16, 21:25).

And as morality has become an individual, private matter, so has politics. They are two sides of the same coin. Declarations of right and wrong – declarations about what is objectively good and bad – are increasingly unwelcome in the public realm, because public means that which is shared, communal, universal, applicable to all. And how can there be a morality that is universally applicable (or a politics that is universally beneficial) if there is no higher moral authority than the individual? How can anyone 'pre-judge' what is good for all?

Public Declarations of the Good Increasingly Difficult

By rejecting God, we have argued ourselves into a corner – and our establishments are in a bind, increasingly unable to enforce one moral law for all. We lose our ability to distinguish between the immovable, universal rights and wrongs God has instituted, and our personal preferences that arise chiefly from taste and character – God-given diversity. As man becomes god, so we conflate the two.

This is why our entire society is suffering from a lack of direction, a lack of convicted leadership and an unwillingness amongst the establishment to engage with controversial issues: because the tyranny of political correctness stops us from standing up, above the crowd, and making a broader statement about what is morally right and good for everyone. Those who are brave enough are usually sued – because our legal system has become about protecting the individual, above all else.

The upshot of this is that the moral pillars of society become judged by and subjected to the moral vagaries of the individual, not the other way around (e.g. FIFA avoids all political or religious messages because they might upset or disagree with some individuals). And because these shifting sands are such a nightmare, it becomes easier to put a blanket ban on everything that might be controversial.

When the moral pillars of society are subjected to the shifting sands of individual hearts, it becomes easier to put a blanket ban on everything that might be controversial.

Should Christians Care?

Let's go back to the humble poppy. FIFA will not publicly endorse the Poppy Appeal, presumably for fear of being branded 'political' – of making a statement about something other than football that splits people and causes it to lose support. Players may be allowed to wear poppies on armbands (i.e. a matter of personal choice – individual politics/morality), but not on their shirts (collective uniforms, symbolising the position of FIFA as an organisation).

In this particular instance, it takes something as seemingly innocuous as the Poppy Appeal to open our eyes, albeit briefly, to the realities of the political correctness nightmare. But it isn't about the poppy, or about war, or about showing respect for bravery and sacrifice in the face of horror. It's about a much bigger, more endemic cultural disease: amorality.

The problem, of course, is that life is inescapably political and religious. Just as attempts to erase religion from the public realm are doomed to fail (as atheism is itself a faith, and secularism itself a religion, rather than the absence of one), so attempts to depoliticise football are also futile.

But that doesn't mean that attempts to enforce the semblance of political and moral neutrality won't be pushed through – with this false neutrality becoming a Trojan horse for the promotion of unGodly values and ethics. Because again, this isn't about the poppy, and it isn't about FIFA. It is about a growing prohibition of public statements of morality – which is already extending to include expressions of Christian truth in schools, on the streets and even in churches.

That's why Christians should take notice of the poppy debate – and refused to be cowed by the spirit of the age.

"They shall grow not old as we that are left grow old; age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn. At the going down of the sun, and in the morning, we will remember them." ~ For the Fallen, Robert Laurence Binyon (1869-1943)

References

1 Is the poppy a political symbol? Who, What, Why, BBC Magazine, 1 November 2016.

2 Conway, R. England v Scotland: Fifa says Poppy ban reports a 'distortion of facts'. BBC Sport, 11 November 2016.

3 One might also point out FIFA's symbolic inconsistency in featuring the logos of ethically dubious corporate sponsors – such as the Nike logo that adorns all England shirts and the Adidas logo graces the shirts of Scottish players. The poppy is apparently a step too far, however (or perhaps not lucrative enough?).

Is there deeper significance in events on and off the football field?

The dramatic arrest of FIFA officials in the luxury Baur au Lac hotel, overlooking Lake Zurich on charges of corruption took the football world by surprise. But allegations of corruption have been levelled at FIFA for many years. In 2011 an independent panel convened to deal with these allegations proposed a number of measures, but their recommendations were ignored. The surprise this time was due to the intervention of American law enforcement agencies investigating crimes of money laundering and corruption involving banks based in America.

Controversy and Injustice

The refusal of 79 year old Sepp Blatter to step down as President of FIFA after 17 years in office is, perhaps, the greatest scandal. Even if he himself is totally innocent of corrupt practices, he has presided over an organisation that has a terrible reputation. It would seem logical to say that as head of the multibillion-dollar organisation he ought to have known what was going on. He is either corrupt or incompetent and in either case he is not the man to clean up such an influential International Association.

Football is no longer just a game: it is a highly lucrative international industry offering huge wealth to both sponsors and players, and is therefore vulnerable to massive corruption. But there are also enormous differences in the rewards paid to players. In some of the developing countries such as Uruguay and Costa Rica professional players earn only a $150 a month¹ whereas in Europe they can earn $150,000 a week! FIFA should be addressing such vast injustices.

The controversy surrounding the President of FIFA has highlighted differences in economics, culture and practices between European nations and those in the developing nations. Sepp Blatter has spent the past 17 years promoting high-level international football (with its huge financial rewards) in Africa and South America, where he has won many friends who have benefited and want him to continue as President.

FIFA already presides over huge injustices, such as massive global disparities in footballers' wages. The latest allegations of bribery and corruption just add insult to injury.

'Shrewd' Business in the Bible

Jesus told a parable in Luke 16 about a shrewd businessman who knew that he was going to be dismissed for incompetence so he called a meeting of all the firm's debtors and reduced their debts so that when he lost his job he would have many friends who owed him favours. The point of the parable Jesus said was that worldly people know how to manipulate financial transactions to their own advantage. Righteous people should take a lesson from this and make sure that their lives produce spiritual fruit for eternal life. This is of far greater importance than ensuring a comfortable lifestyle on earth.

Shaking the Establishment

Daily Herald article, 1963

For Christians, it is important to note the spiritual significance of what is happening in the commercial world, and especially how it throws light on how God is working out his purposes today. We have already seen the shaking of the banks and the exposure of corrupt practices, the shaking of the political establishment in the Western nations, the shaking of newspapers and journalists, celebrities and many others. Now football is the latest of the world's big institutions to be shaken.

For many fans, football plays a large part in their lives and has almost become a religion. When Spurs won the league and European Cup double in 1963, the team paraded through the streets of Tottenham North London, with their fans displaying placards saying "HALLOWED BE THEIR NAMES" and "O COME LET US ADORE THEM" (see right). At the Wembley cup final it is traditional to sing the Christian hymn 'Abide with me', though it is doubtful if many in the crowd sing it to the glory of God. Maybe this is the reason why football is the first major sport to come under judgement!

What we are seeing today is in line with the Bible's prophecy of a great shaking of the nations recorded in Haggai 2:6-7, where it is said that this will be accompanied by a great shaking in the world of nature. In the New Testament the writer to the Hebrews interpreted this great shaking as preparing the way for the Kingdom of God; the end of the age, which is generally believed to be the second coming of Jesus (Heb 12:26).

We are living in an incredible period of world history with nations in every part of the world being shaken. As each great event hits the headlines, corruption is revealed as the norm, and dishonour the standard, in the lives and careers of many. As we make a stand for faith, let us stand in the love and strength of Christ, which provides a new way- a way of justice and righteousness -for those who choose to accept him.

References

1 Reuters, 'This should've happened long ago', First Post, 28 May 2015.