James McClean is under investigation from the FA for his Instagram post responding to the abuse he took during Saturday’s match against Middlesbrough.
Away fans booed and jeered the Irishman when he appeared as a substitute in the match and were joined by elements of the home support angered by his decision not to wear a poppy.
McClean quoted former Westminster MP, Bobby Sands in his response stating ‘They have nothing in their whole imperial arsenal that can break the spirit of one Irishman who doesn’t want to be broken.’
It seems that that quote has upset the FA but they’ll need to delve deeply to find a charge.
The Sun reports:
CONTROVERSIAL Stoke winger James McClean is being investigated by the English Football Association for a social media post blasting his own fans.
McClean has since taken to Instagram posing with his family wearing a Celtic top.
Up until Tony Blair supported an illegal invasion of Iraq football grounds were free of the poppy fanatics with clubs preferring to show their respect in solemn Remembrance Sunday services.
Other areas of the entertainment business are unaffected, there are no ceremonies before or during theatre shows or at the cinema. Bus and train drivers don’t wear special poppy uniforms.
Over the last 15 years clubs have been forced into wearing poppies on their shirt and hosting various ceremonies before the start of matches.
As a native of Derry McClean and his family have seen at first hand the excesses of the British Army, since moving to Sunderland he has never played with a poppy on his shirt.