England supporters could see their flags confiscated during the team’s opening match against Croatia at Dallas Stadium on Wednesday.
Officials from the stadium have reportedly informed the England Supporters Club (ESC) that fans are prohibited from displaying flags over the LED advertising boards surrounding the pitch. Only smaller flags will be permitted, which must be affixed to rails positioned behind the goals.
While the ESC has organized several large banners and flags for display behind the goals, casual fans bringing their own flags into the venue risk having them taken away.
Fifa representatives cited “safety and security reasons” for the ban on hanging flags over the LED signage. This past Sunday, some Dutch and Japanese fans had their flags confiscated at the same stadium during a match that ended in a 2-2 draw, although there have been no reported issues with flag access at other venues.
Fifa’s guidelines for fans clarify.
“Small flags, banners and posters made of a fire-resistant material are allowed in the stadium. Larger flags, banners, posters or instruments must be approved in advance.”
Additionally, Fifa bans flags “that are of a political, offensive and/or discriminatory nature”. A recent court ruling in Los Angeles permitted the organization to bar Iran supporters from bringing the pre-revolutionary flag, deeming it a political symbol.
“At a lot of the stadiums it hasn’t been a problem, so it’s hard to understand what is the actual policy and what is improvisation by the staff locally with the rules that they now have,” he added. “The broader problem – and I think it’s a demonstration of how much Fifa has little control over this tournament – is that there’s no consistent rule, and when you look at what Fifa has published, there’s a code of conduct that is very broad.”
“But it never clarified a lot of things, like what sort of symbols are allowed and not allowed? Are you able to bring a flag of your region or city or club? A lot of this is still up in the air, and I think there’s a bit of learning by the venues, but also, again, inconsistency.”
