McClean refuses to wear poppy on eve of Remembrance Sunday as Sunderland suffer defeat



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Controversial Sunderland winger James McClean refused to wear a poppy in the 2-1 defeat at Everton.

All Sunderland and Everton players wore the specially commissioned shirts featuring a poppy on the chest as part of the Remembrance Sunday commemoration.

Sunderland have been one of the leading clubs in acknowledging the annual event and were one of the first to commission the shirts and auction them for the Poppy Appeal.

Not for me: James McClean did not have a poppy sewn onto his shirt during Sunderland's match at Everton

But the Londonderry-born Republic of Ireland international asked to wear his usual shirt when he was recalled by Sunderland manager Martin O'Neill for today’s clash at Goodison.

Sunderland manager Martin O'Neill, who was also born and brought up in Derry, and played for Northern Ireland, wore a poppy on his post-match suit but did not wear one on his training kit during the defeat for Sunderland, who have still not won at Goodison since 1996.

Respectful: The entire Everton team and McLean's Sunderland team-mates wore poppies and observed the minute's silence before the game

Respectful: The entire Everton team and McLean's Sunderland team-mates wore poppies and observed the minute's silence before the game

Sunderland have distanced themselves from McClean's decision and have again given their full support to the appeal.

A club spokesman said: 'As a club Sunderland AFC wholeheartedly supports the Remembrance Commemorations. It was James’ personal choice not to wear a shirt on this occasion.'

The 23-year-old former League of Ireland midfielder, who broke into the Sunderland squad following O'Neill's appointment at the Stadium of Light less than a year ago, has been embroiled in controversy in the last 12 months as a result of his Republican views.

He upset fans of Northern Ireland when he switched allegiance for the Republic, despite playing at under-age for the country of his birth, and then exacerbated the situation when he posted abusive and sarcastic tweets aimed at people in the North.

McClean finally came off Twitter at the start of this season, to the relief of O'Neill, after he sent abusive tweets aimed at Ireland manager Giovanni Trapattoni when he was left out of their World Cup qualifier in Kazakhstan.

However, McClean has now re-opened his Twitter account but was urged by the club to stay off the social media site and not get embroiled in the debate which was gathering pace after the game.

By contrast with McClean, Sunderland striker Connor Wickham - whose father is in the Army - posted a tweet in support of British troops and the annual campaign.

One up: Adam Johnson took the lead for Sunderland during their defeat on the eve of Remembrance Sunday

The England Under 21 international wrote: 'Support for the troops past and present before game today is great! We should be proud of our troops!'



Sunderland’s stand-in captain John O’Shea was pictured without his poppy shirt in the second-half of the game but the former Manchester United defender changed his shirt at half-time, which is a common practice among professionals.

Quick change: John O'Shea wore his poppy shirt in the first-half, but changed it for the final 45 minutes



Sunderland issued the one-off shirts to auction for funds for the Royal British Legion and several players changed shirts at the break, as is normal practice.



Republic of Ireland international O’Shea, who was stand-in captain in place of Lee Cattermole, carried a wreath to the centre circle before the game with Phil Neville and was accompanied by three members of the armed forces.

A minute’s silence was impeccably observed at all grounds.

A Premier League spokesman said: ‘We have great support from the clubs. It is a matter of choice whether people wore the poppy.’

McClean is now on international duty with the Republic of Ireland, ahead of their home friendly against Greece, and is unlikely to comment on his decision not to wear the poppy shirt.



But many Twitter followers jumped to his defence last night and, like former England captain Rio Ferdinand, many feel McClean was within his rights to take a personal decision not to wear a garment supporting a cause that he cannot.



McClean was bought from Derry City, his home club, where his insatiable desire to become a Premier League footballer stood out in one of the most deprived areas of the United Kingdom and Ireland.

