James McClean’s Refusal To Wear The Poppy Has Made Him The Most Hated Man In English Soccer
Illustration: Elena Scotti (GMG), Photo: Getty In England, Halloween ends and gives way to November in various ways: Pumpkins left on doorsteps begin their neglected descent into rot; the seasonal coffee flavoring changes to gingerbread; James McClean begins receiving death threats from a certain brand of soccer fan, including among his own supporters. For the seventh year in a row, McClean, the Republic of Ireland and Stoke City midfielder, refused to wear a Remembrance poppy on his jersey to honor British military personnel who have died in war. Inspired by the poem “In Flanders Fields” by...
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