James McClean: 'It would be a gesture of disrespect for me to wear a poppy'

 
Making a stand: Wigan midfielder James McClean during his side's clash with Bolton
Robin de Peyer8 November 2014

Irish footballer James McClean said it would be a "gesture of disrespect" for him to wear a poppy as he made a controversial stand ahead of a match last night.

The Wigan Athletic midfielder, 25, refused to wear a poppy as clubs across the country marked the 100th anniversary of the First World War.

As his team-mates prepared to pull on jerseys bearing the symbol for last night's clash with Bolton, the Republic of Ireland player set out his reasons for the decision in a letter to Wigan chairman Dave Whelan.

McClean, who was a substitute for Wigan's 1-0 defeat last night, said his upbringing in Londonderry meant the poppy had "come to mean something very different" to him.

In the letter, he wrote: "I wanted to write to you before talking about this face to face and explain my reasons for not wearing a poppy on my shirt for the game at Bolton.

"I have complete respect for those who fought and died in both World Wars - many I know were Irish-born. I have been told that your own Grandfather Paddy Whelan, from Tipperary, was one of those.

"I mourn their deaths like every other decent person and if the Poppy was a symbol only for the lost souls of World War I and II I would wear one.

"I want to make that 100% clear .You must understand this.

"But the Poppy is used to remember victims of other conflicts since 1945 and this is where the problem starts for me.

"For people from the North of Ireland such as myself, and specifically those in Derry, scene of the 1972 Bloody Sunday massacre, the poppy has come to mean something very different. Please understand, Mr Whelan, that when you come from Creggan like myself or the Bogside, Brandywell or the majority of places in Derry, every person still lives in the shadow of one of the darkest days in Ireland’s history – even if like me you were born nearly 20 years after the event. It is just a part of who we are, ingrained into us from birth.

"Mr Whelan, for me to wear a poppy would be as much a gesture of disrespect for the innocent people who lost their lives in the Troubles – and Bloody Sunday especially - as I have in the past been accused of disrespecting the victims of WWI and WWII.

"It would be seen as an act of disrespect to those people; to my people."

He went on: "I am not a war monger, or anti-British, or a terrorist or any of the accusations levelled at me in the past. I am a peaceful guy, I believe everyone should live side by side, whatever their religious or political beliefs which I respect and ask for people to respect mine in return. Since last year, I am a father and I want my daughter to grow up in a peaceful world, like any parent.

"I am very proud of where I come from and I just cannot do something that I believe is wrong. In life, if you’re a man you should stand up for what you believe in.

"I know you may not agree with my feelings but I hope very much that you understand my reasons.

"As the owner of the club I am proud to play for, I believe I owe both you and the club’s supporters this explanation."

His statement was accepted by Wigan Athletic, who said in a statement: "This is a personal decision by James, who explained his position in a letter to Latics Chairman Dave Whelan before the two met face to face to discuss the issue this week.

"Following the meeting, Mr Whelan accepted James’ decision."

Create a FREE account to continue reading

eros

Registration is a free and easy way to support our journalism.

Join our community where you can: comment on stories; sign up to newsletters; enter competitions and access content on our app.

Your email address

Must be at least 6 characters, include an upper and lower case character and a number

You must be at least 18 years old to create an account

* Required fields

Already have an account? SIGN IN

By clicking Create Account you confirm that your data has been entered correctly and you have read and agree to our Terms of use , Cookie policy and Privacy policy .

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged in