Germany to join England in wearing poppies at Wembley

The German football association (DFB) and the English Football Association both released statements on Wednesday announcing that both team would wear black armbands with poppies during their match in London on Friday.

The FA's chief executive officer, Martin Glenn, said that "commemorating the men and women who have served this country is engrained in our nation. Many of them have made the ultimate sacrifice and we will be honouring them, both on and off-the-pitch, for our match against Germany at Wembley Stadium."

 DFB President Reinhard Grindel said he had agreed to the request from his English counterpart without hesitation.

"It's not about political propaganda," he said. "The symbol of the poppy is about values that were trampled upon during both world wars, but that we continue to treasure in football today - respect, tolerance and humanity."

Friday's match falls two days before Remembrance Day in the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth countries.

Football's world governing body had until recently considered the poppy to be a political symbol, however, the International Football Association Board, which determines the laws of the game, issued a clarification in September, saying it may be worn, provided that the opposition agree to this in advance.

Last year, FIFA fined England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland for displaying the poppy during matches.