This is a story of two completely different organisations that are worlds apart in their outlook and morality. I’ll provide a brief description of each and see if you can work out which one is trying to call the shots over the other.

The first is our own Royal British Legion. The Legion as we call it over here was set up after the First World War in 1921 to look after the welfare over the soldiers, sailors, and airmen who had given so much in that bloody conflict. Although it continues to do good work for all service men and woman every day of the year, it is best known to all for its Poppy Day Appeal.

This is a fundraising drive leading up to Remembrance Sunday in November, which the whole nation commemorates those who have lost their lives in all the wars over the last hundred years. There is support across Britain and pretty much everyone you’ll meet (apart from the usual loony left nut job brigade) will show complete solidarity. In fact you would be hard pushed to find a more admirable set up anywhere in the world. And now lets come to the other organisation.

It’s called FIFA – or the Federation International Football Association. They are in charge of organizing all the sport’s (soccer to you lot) big competitions – such as the World Cup. But recently they’ve moved from the sporting back pages to the front pages following accusations of corruption in handing over the hosting of the World Cup to Russia and Qatar. FIFA is currently under investigation by the FBI and fifteen senior executives have been arrested for racketeering, wire fraud, and money laundering.

So given the world we now live in – you can probably guess which of the two is throwing its weight around and trying to pull a fast one.

Yes it’s the sporting world’s most corrupt organization who have now decided to open disciplinary action against the England and Scotland football teams for wearing poppies in the World Cup qualifiers on Armistice Day. (That’s the same World Cup that they are currently being investigated for awarded to Russia after a series of bribes by the way).

Apparently the rules of the Swiss-based organisation ban the use of “political symbols” by players. What quite is political about raising money for a good cause is, I don’t quite know. Both teams now face a fine or possible points deduction.

And if you think this ridiculous – and outrageous – situation couldn’t get any more farcical – it just did. The Wales national team took the decision NOT to wear the poppies because they didn’t want to risk the sanctions. But their fans – hats off to the Taffs – all turned up wearing their poppies with pride.

And what happens next — FIFA launches a formal investigation.

The preliminary enquiry includes the observation that some supporters in the stand were wearing the poppy; that a member of the armed forces was holding a bunch of poppies at the exit to the tunnel; that a fan’s mosaic was displayed during the national anthem and that some supporters had displayed a banner depicting the poppy before the match.

Unbelievable.

In the light of the behaviour of FIFA I’ve decided to introduce a new regular feature to my blog.

It’s called Big Phil’s Wanker of the Week… and this week it’s every single person who works for FIFA (and yes that especially includes all of you under investigation by the Feds); because all of you who have the gall to tell us what to do regardless of your greedy corruption. You make me sick.

Featured image courtesy of Daily Express.