McClean stood at a distance from his Wrexham teammates as they observed a minute's silence before their match with Mansfield Town on Saturday
James McClean's wife Erin has defended the footballer as his stance on Remembrance Sunday continues to draw attention.
McClean grew up on Derry's Creggan estate, the homeplace of many of the 14 people killed in the 1972 Bloody Sunday massacre. "The poppy represents for me an entire different meaning to what it does for others, am I offended by someone wearing a poppy? No absolutely not, what does offend me though, is having the poppy forced upon me.
"I respect those who do as I am fully aware we have different beliefs and upbringings. I would never force my beliefs on others. I’m not naive or stupid enough to expect the matter to be reciprocated, especially as the poppy is forced now on everyone in the UK and god forbid someone doesn’t wear it, the abuse they have to endure.
“'Happy to work and live in the UK but take the king's shilling, send him back to his home town to work then' well the sad matter of fact is if I did I would still getting paid in the “kings shillings” unfortunately which is part of the whole problem to begin with.The media scrutiny over McClean not standing with this teammates and not wearing the poppy prompted his wife Erin to take to social media on Saturday.
Erin has previously told of how the abuse her husband suffers from sections of the English football terraces while he was playing for Stoke City left her fearing for their family.
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