James McClean has asked people to respect his decision to not wear a poppy on his shirt.

The Stoke winger confirmed that his shirt will not have a Remembrance Day poppy on it when his team host Middlesbrough on Saturday and face Nottingham Forest away the following weekend.

McClean, 29, said: “I know many people won’t agree with my decision or even attempt to gain an understanding of why I don’t wear a poppy.


The poppy, worn by millions of people in the lead-up to and on Armistice Day (Sunday November 11), is a symbol of remembrance of those who have died in war.

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The Stoke midfielder asked people to respect his decision not to wear a poppy

It became a symbol of commemoration after the First World War and was chosen as a nod to the battlefields where the red flowers grew in plentiful supply.

More than 16 million people were killed in the conflict between 1914 and 1918.

McClean chooses not to wear a poppy because of where he comes from.

The former West Brom, Wigan and Sunderland player was born and raised in Derry, Northern Ireland.

McClean comes from Derry in Northern Ireland

Specifically, he grew up on the city's Creggan estate, the same place that was home to six of the 28 unarmed civilians shot dead by British soldiers on Bloody Sunday in 1972.

The civilians were killed during a peaceful protest.

Bloody Sunday, sometimes called the Bogside Massacre, was one of the most significant and shocking events during The Troubles, also known as the Northern Ireland conflict.


McClean has chosen not to wear a poppy in previous years, too

In 2015, he said: “People say I am being disrespectful but don’t ask why I choose not to wear it.




A demonstrator is placed on a stretcher after the Bloody Sunday massacre in Derry, Northern Ireland, 30th January 1972
The Bloody Sunday massacre resulted in the loss of 28 lives

Special shirts with the poppy stitched into the chest were first introduced in 2012.

They are worn by the vast majority of players from Premier League and Football League clubs during the first part of November.

Stoke said they respected McClean's decision not to wear one.

In a statement, they said: “As a Club we will be supporting the Royal British Legion’s Poppy Appeal by wearing the Poppy on our home shirt in the fixture against Middlesbrough on November 3and and on our away shirt in the fixture against Nottingham Forest on November 10.

"The club is proud of its close connections with the Armed Forces and have also invited members of the Armed Forces to join our remembrance at the Middlesbrough fixture.

“However, we recognise that the Poppy means different things to different individuals and communities and (like the Royal British Legion) do not believe that anybody should be forced or even pressured to wear the Poppy against their free will.

"James has informed us that he will not be wearing a Remembrance Day Poppy in our next two games. We respect his decision and his right to follow his own convictions.”