FIFA rejected a flag made by Barrow supporters for England's match against Ghana on Tuesday because it included a submarine silhouette on a St George flag. The group was told they could not display it inside World Cup stadiums unless they covered up the submarine and sent the application in again.
The decision landed just as John Little was heading to Boston for the match, and it cut straight across what the flag was meant to represent. It carried the Barrow club badge and the submarine image, a nod to the Cumbrian town's shipbuilding and submarine history, but FIFA said the design fell into a category it would not allow.
Fans who want to show large flags in World Cup stadiums must apply for approval before they are allowed in, and FIFA told the group the item had been turned down because it included imagery of weapons or military submarine. Little said he could understand bans on guns and knives, but not a submarine. “It's not like you can go down to the local Walmart and buy a submarine is it,” he said. “I couldn't believe it really, it's a little bit harsh that they've done it for something like that.”
That frustration goes to the heart of the clash. Barrow's identity is tied to shipbuilding, and thousands of jobs in the town rely on military contracts, so the submarine on the flag was not meant as a threat or a show of force. FIFA, though, said the imagery was not permitted under its policy and made no distinction between the local symbol and the category it placed it in.
The next step is straightforward, even if the fans dislike it: cover up the submarine, submit the design again, and wait for approval. For Barrow supporters, the issue is no longer whether the flag can be changed. It is whether a local emblem can survive the rules long enough to make it into the stadium at all.
