Flags bearing the silhouette of a soldier holding a rifle are being barred from World Cup stadiums in the United States – despite the country’s permissive gun laws – under strict FIFA regulations governing political and weapons imagery. England supporters carrying St George’s crosses that honour British war dead have been refused permission to display them at venues, including the AT&T Stadium in Dallas, where Thomas Tuchel’s side face Croatia on Wednesday night.
The prohibition has nothing to do with local ordinances. Instead, FIFA sets the rules for all match venues, and its code of conduct treats the image of a serviceman carrying a rifle as a prohibited depiction of a weapon. The move has provoked fury among travelling fans, who point to the apparent contradiction: a firearm can be bought over the counter in a Texas Walmart, but a flag honouring fallen soldiers cannot be brought into the ground.
Strict FIFA rules on flags and weapons imagery
FIFA permits small flags, banners and posters up to a maximum size of two metres by one and a half metres (78 inches by 60 inches), provided they are made of fire-resistant or low-flammable material. Any item larger than that requires advance approval via the FIFA Fan Materials Portal, with applications due at least five days before kick-off. Supporters are asked to submit photographs as part of the process.
It is at this point that several England fans have discovered their flags fall foul of the regulations. Because the flag features a silhouette of a soldier holding a rifle, FIFA’s safety and graphic rules categorise it as an unapproved weapon depiction. The Football Association has been trying to broker a solution ahead of England’s opening match. Fans have been told they can still bring the flags to the stadium, but stewards may refuse them entry, leaving supporters with a difficult choice: find somewhere to store a specially commissioned item that may have cost hundreds of pounds, or miss the game entirely.
Images of poppies on flags are permitted. Flexible flagpoles made of non-flammable plastic, no longer than one metre and no thicker than one centimetre, may be allowed if security officials deem them safe, but most poles are banned. Flags and banners must not be hung over LED advertising boards, and fans will typically be required to hold them rather than hang them, with designated hanging spots limited and allocated on a first-come, first-served basis. Confiscation remains the likely outcome for anyone attempting to bring prohibited items into the ground.
The FA confirmed: “We have advised our fans that FIFA can prevent flags with sensitive or political content entering the stadiums. Our team are on hand at the ground to help review flags if needed to avoid any problems occurring.”
The ban on soldier imagery is not the only example of FIFA’s insistence on apolitical events. During the same tournament, the governing body barred the pre-1979 Iranian “Lion and Sun” flag, classifying it as a political symbol – a decision that was upheld by a judge in an emergency hearing after legal challenges.
Anti-Starmer chants risk ejection and FA fines
Separately, large sections of England’s travelling support have been singing “Keir Starmer’s a wanker” – a chant set to the tune of “Seven Nation Army” – during pre-tournament friendlies and in bars around Dallas. The chant was heard multiple times during England’s 3-0 win over Costa Rica in Orlando last week, and on Monday night it was booming out at the Fort Worth Stockyards, a popular gathering spot for fans.
One St George’s Cross seen by Daily Mail Sport in Dallas carried an offensive slur aimed at the Prime Minister, with the message “Keir Starmer is a n***e”. The FA is aware of the situation.
FIFA’s stadium code of conduct warns fans not to use offensive language or gestures, and its rules prohibit banners, flags, apparel or clothing deemed to be of a political, offensive or discriminatory nature. The governing body has a long history of fining national associations over fan behaviour. Mexico’s football federation has been fined more than one million dollars over time – and ordered to play matches behind closed doors – because of persistent homophobic chants. Other South American nations, as well as Serbia and Croatia, have also faced fines for discriminatory chanting.
England themselves were fined by FIFA in 2016 for displaying a political symbol during a match against Scotland. The FA now risks further financial penalties if anti-Starmer chants or offensive banners are deployed during the tournament. Fans engaging in such conduct also face ejection from stadiums.
There is a strong feeling of discontent with the Prime Minister among a segment of England’s hardcore support, a mood that has been building at recent matches and appears to have crossed the Atlantic with the squad.
Fan fury over the flag ban
Supporters directly affected by the flag policy have expressed bewilderment. One England fan in Dallas said: “It’s madness. I’d imagine if I wanted to go over the road to a Walmart and buy an actual gun there wouldn’t be an issue, but I can’t go into the stadium with a flag honouring those who gave their lives for our country because it features an image of a soldier holding a rifle.”
Fans with approved larger banners are advised to arrive at least two and a half hours before kick-off for inspection. Those whose applications are rejected face a practical problem: many have paid hundreds of pounds for specially commissioned St George’s crosses and have nowhere to store them safely at short notice, leaving them with the unpalatable choice of abandoning the flag or missing the match.
The FA’s team at the ground are ready to review flags on the spot, but with tensions already running high before England’s tournament debut, the lack of a clear resolution has left some supporters frustrated. The mixture of a ban on war memorial flags, the prospect of ejection for anti-government chants, and the weight of FIFA’s regulatory apparatus means that for a significant number of England fans, the action off the pitch has become just as fraught as the action on it.
