Overview
- FIFA wrote that the Barrow-decorated St George’s Cross was rejected because the flag “includes imagery of weapons or military (submarine),” a policy the governing body is enforcing at the tournament.
- Supporters who tried to bring the flag into Dallas Stadium for England’s opener were denied entry after their application was turned down, according to multiple reports.
- FIFA told the applicants it would approve the banner if the submarine was covered and the application was resubmitted, and a Barrow supporter said he would follow that guidance.
- Barrow AFC posted a temporary edited badge with the submarine blurred to allow use at matches, and Barrow and Furness MP Michelle Scrogham has tabled a motion in the House of Commons asking FIFA to reconsider the decision.
- The submarine on Barrow’s crest is a civic tribute to the town’s shipbuilding history, raising questions about how FIFA’s blanket ban on weapons imagery treats symbols of local heritage and whether its rules will be revised.