It’s 10 November 2018, the day before Canadians and others throughout parts of the Commonwealth gather to honour the men and women who gave their lives in combat – and give thanks those who made it home and serve today.
I’m posting this piece this evening because the weapon I use in the service of Canadian soccer sovereignty – this blog – will fall silent, just as the guns of the Great War did 100 years-ago.
Tomorrow, I’ll make my way to Victory Square where I’ll take my place alongside others to reflect upon the moment and as usual, continue to try and make sense of the imperialism, economic ambition and defense of internal and external privilege that led to the death and maiming of so many people.
As it is, we’ll assemble around a 30-foot high obelisk made of grey granite symbolically sourced from a small island off the mainland coast of British Columbia. Protruding from it will be staffs flying the Maple Leaf along with heritage flags acknowledging our colonial and military past – the Union Jack, the Red Ensign flown by the Canadian Army during World Wars I and II, and those of the Royal Canadian Air Force and Royal Canadian Navy.
In the midst of dark overcoats and rain jackets, the blue and green of uniforms and the sound of laments, prayers, and verses, there will be the bright colours of battle standards and regimental flags and of course, the blood-red poppy.
In Flanders fields, the poppies blow
Between the crosses, row on row,
That mark our place: and in the sky
The larks still bravely singing fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.
We are the dead: Short days ago,
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved and were loved: and now we lie
In Flanders fields!
Take up our quarrel with the foe
To you, from failing hands, we throw
The torch: be yours to hold it high
If ye break faith with us who die,
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders fields
Written in 1915 by Lieutenant-Colonel John McCrae, Canadian Expeditionary Force, after officiating the burial of a friend at the Second Battle of Ypres, the poem quickly became synonymous with the Great War and afterward, the Remembrance Day ritual.
In Flanders Fields also spawned the use of poppies as a symbol of remembrance, at first in the United States, and soon after that by most of the British Empire’s wartime nations.
Today, the wearing of poppies is generally viewed as respectable, it’s also become a culturally and politically loaded act for some people.
Simply put, there’s a feeling among peace activists that the poppy has been robbed of its original significance, that it’s been co-opted to justify military actions in places like Afghanistan and Iraq. For others, the poppy has come to symbolize steadfast support for military culture and conservative politics.
Yet, for some, wearing a poppy is to merely underscore the guiding maxim of Remembrance Day: Never Again.
The United Kingdom – arguably the centre of the Remembrance Day ritual – with it’s controversial colonial and military record, the poppy debate has been a part of the national conversation for many years, and it’s managed to make its way into professional football.
English Premier League clubs began to sport poppies on their kits several years ago in support of the Royal British Legion’s Poppy Appeal, with teams donating their game-worn jerseys for auction to raise funds for veterans’ programming.
However, some players and fans haven’t exactly embraced the idea. This past week, the poppy-on-kits debate surfaced again when Manchester United’s Serbian international, Nemanja Matic, stated that he’ll not be wearing a poppy this season, as doing so reminds him of “… an attack that I felt personally as a young, frightened 12-year old boy living in Vrelo, as my country was devastated by the bombing of Serbia in 1999.” During the Yugoslavia crisis of the 1990’s, parts of Serbia were bombed by NATO-led forces – an action that included Great Britain and Canada – to push Serbian troops out of Kosovo.
And just down the road in Stoke, Irish international James McClean has come up for his annual round of abuse for refusing to display a poppy on his uniform. Hailing from Londonderry, Northern Ireland, the site of “Bloody Sunday” when, in 1972, British soldiers shot 14 civilian protesters to death, McClean has been clear that beyond World War I and II, the symbolism of poppies is meaningless given on-going conflicts post-1945 and Britain’s militarism on the Emerald Island.
So, in a year from now, if CanPL matches are to be held in the period leading up to Remembrance Day, the poppy-on-kits will be an issue for us too. And we would do well to consider the experience of our Commonwealth cousins.
Here in Canada, as elsewhere in the Commonwealth, there are those who’ve chosen not to wear a poppy. However, there is an increasing number of others who have begun to wear a white poppy as an alternative to the standard red to commemorate the occasion.
Created by the Peace Pledge Union, it seems to me to be a viable option if one wants to mark the occasion as the white poppy represents “… remembrance for all victims of war, a commitment to peace and a challenge to attempts to glamorise or celebrate war.”
However, I’ve begun to wear both. In my mind, as someone who abhors war yet acknowledges the need for a fully-supported military – monetarily and politically – wearing both allows me to demonstrate respect for those who’ve died in the service of Canada, and for those who serve today, all the while raising awareness for the need to create and support alternatives to armed conflict.
In the end, however, whether one wears a poppy or not, for whatever reason, it’s a decision that must be respected and be done without scorn.
So, if the CanPL season extends into the Remembrance Day period, should league kits be outfitted with a poppy crest?
Yes.
Football is a game that unifies people at the club and national levels like no other sport. But just as it unites, the game can also divide – just as poppies do during the Remembrance Day period.
But there is a way to bridge the divide - at least at the poppy level. I believe that if the CanPL were to adopt a red and white poppy crest, with features unique to the league and country, it could go some way to acknowledge the diversity of approaches to Remembrance Day. Just as important, it could help us avoid the sometimes-vile behaviour on both sides of the issue found in the United Kingdom.
And just as it’s a personal choice for citizens to wear a poppy (red, white or any other colour) or not, a player should enjoy the same consideration - without scorn.
In the end, initiating a conversation like this isn’t about exploiting “the moment.” It’s about honouring and validating the different ways Remembrance Day can be marked, and ultimately, showing leadership and recognizing the ability of soccer to bring people together.
If we are to build the independent and thoroughly Canadian football culture we desire, then we should strive for one that is inclusive, progressive and accurately reflects our commitment to accommodation, equality, diversity and fairness – and the usefulness of consultation and dialogue.
Sincerely yours,
Pacific FC member 209