However, Fifa, the governing body of football, has said that no nation may have any political, religious, or commercial themes on their shirts. They had rejected down a plea to allow England and Scotland players to wear poppies on their armbands.
The argument was made because both countries' teams play in World Cup finals. But it was also done as a tribute to those who served in the armed forces. The case was taken to an administrative court by former footballer Brian Clough. He claimed it was a matter of public interest because many people would like to see more awareness of issues such as violence against women and child abuse. The court agreed and granted him permission to bring the case before it.
England's and Scotland's games will be played over two days at the end of September. It is not known if this will affect which jerseys they use. However, since both countries' teams are involved it is likely at least one team will be wearing poppy-inspired clothing.
There has been some criticism of this rule from people who say it should be possible to show support for veterans by wearing symbols on your clothes. Others say it is wrong to forbid any form of political expression through clothing. The case has been described as a victory for freedom of speech and a rejection of attempts by Fifa to limit what fans can say about their countries on match days.
After FIFA backed down, national football teams will be permitted to wear poppies on their shirts during international matches. They claimed the memorial emblem was political and so prohibited by FIFA regulations prohibiting personal, political, or religious statements. However, given the opportunity to allow its players to express themselves through clothing, many nations chose to wear poppies for peace.
England's national team had been planning to wear black armbands in remembrance of those who have lost their lives in recent wars, but since this would have violated FIFA rules, they decided to wear poppy-emblazoned jerseys instead.
There has been much debate as to why FIFA objected to the idea of footballers wearing poppies. Some say it is because they feel doing so shows support for Britain's National Football League (NFL), which has ties with the armed forces. Others claim it is because they don't want players shown in a "political" position. Still others believe it is simply a case of political correctness run amok.
The NFL has come under fire for its relationship with Britain's military industry. There have been protests against the league's involvement with the US army football club due to concerns over training techniques used by the team in Iraq.
The Football Association has announced that both England and Germany players would wear black armbands with poppies for Friday's friendly at Wembley, the day before Armistice Day. Both the FA and the German Football Association (DFB) decided to wear poppies in memory of service people.
Germany wore black armbands with white poppies during their November 2010 World Cup game against Ireland in South Africa. The Germans went on to win that match 1-0. They followed that up by wearing black armbands with white poppies during their June 2011 European Championship game against Italy in Berlin. That game ended in a 0-0 draw.
England have previously worn black armbands as a mark of respect, most recently in 2009 following the deaths of Michael Jackson and Prince. A minute's silence will be held before the England vs Germany match on Friday.
Poppy growing became popular after its introduction in Britain in 1917, when those flowers were given to honor soldiers who died fighting in Europe. Today, poppy plants are used to make war memorials and serve as signs of remembrance for living people too.
Poppies are available in various colors, including red, white, blue, orange, and yellow.
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