England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland have all been fined by FIFA for wearing poppies during World Cup qualifiers.
The Football Association’s fine of £35,000 is the largest levied, with the Welsh and Scottish FA both fined £15,700, and Northern Ireland’s IFA £11,800.
The Republic of Ireland’s FAI was also fined just over £3,900 for displaying a political symbol on their shirt in a friendly clash with Switzerland back in March.
England and Scotland both agreed to wear poppies on their shirts for the qualifier at Wembley on Armistice Day, November 11, with both FAs fined for the “display by the host association, the team and spectators of a political symbol and several cases of spectator misconduct.”
FIFA’s statement confirmed the same reasoning behind fines for Wales and Northern Ireland from their matches last month against Serbia and Azerbaijan respectively.
Chairman of the FIFA Disciplinary Committee, Claudio Sulser, said: “With these decisions, it is not our intention to judge or question specific commemorations as we fully respect the significance of such moments in the respective countries, each one of them with its own history and background.
“However, keeping in mind that the rules need to be applied in a neutral and fair manner across FIFA’s 211 member associations, the display, among others, of any political or religious symbol is strictly prohibited. In the stadium and on the pitch, there is only room for sport, nothing else.”