Poppy protest footballer James McClean reveals former club ‘hung me out to dry’ over political stance – and opens up on death threat that left him in police protection
Poppy protest footballer James McClean says his former club Sunderland ‘hung him out to dry’ over his stance.
And he has opened up on the death threat which saw his house guarded by police after he first went against the grain in 2012.
McClean, 37, is remembered in English football for his refusal to wear the poppy because he feels it shows disrespect to people who died during the Troubles in his home nation of Northern Ireland. He also played in the Premier League for five seasons with the Black Cats and West Brom.
His hometown, Londonderry, known to Republicans as Derry, was the scene for the infamous 1972 Bloody Sunday massacre, in which British soldiers shot 26 unarmed civilians during a protest march, with 14 killed.
‘Wearing the poppy was just never going to happen,’ he told The Guardian.
‘It was a very difficult year and I felt a lot of that could have been handled better by the club. But Sunderland came out with a statement before the game which drew all eyes on me. It was there to protect the club. They basically said this is James’s personal decision but we, as a club, wholeheartedly support the poppy appeal.
James McClean says Sunderland ‘hung him out to dry’ over his poppy protest stance
The star, who was born in Northern Ireland, has always refused to wear the poppy as he feels it shows disrespect to people who died during the Troubles
‘I wanted to make my own statement but I was constantly told by the club that: “No, no, it’ll die over. Just leave it.”
‘I’d just turned 23 and I thought the club had a duty of care to look after me and that’s what they were doing. I’d won the player of the year the previous season but I felt they hung me out to dry.
‘The next game was away to Fulham on a Sunday, on Sky. A threat was made that I would be shot if I came on to the pitch. I remember Erin [his wife] panicking. It sounds extreme and people might say: “Oh, wise up, you’re not going to be shot on TV.” But the night before the game I was assigned two police officers to stand outside my door. So the Met police took it seriously and that made it more real.’
McClean has followed his stance ever since, despite the intimidations. In 2024, he even stood separately from the Wrexham and Mansfield players as they observed a minute of silence for Remembrance Day.
He has previously stated that if the poppy was only used to memorialise those who died solely in WW1 and WW2 then he would be happy to oblige with the show of respect.
His decision has previously seen McClean suffer torrents of abuse from angry supporters that view his poppy snub as an insult to the memory of armed forces personnel who have lost their lives in combat.
The Republic of Ireland international is a divisive figure in professional football having previously issued calls for a united Ireland, refused to wear a poppy as is tradition in fixtures throughout November and once posed IRA-style in a balaclava in front of his children for a ‘school history lesson’.
In September, he clashed with Birmingham City supporters when being substituted and later called a fan at the match a ‘smelly fat gammon’ after catching a cup of Bovril that had been thrown at him.
He says he would sometimes go ‘looking for conflict’ during his career – and even suffered from death threats
He is back at hometown club Derry City but is not playing and says they fed him ‘b*******’
He admits to the Guardian that sometimes he riles people up deliberately.
‘There were days where I went looking for the conflict,’ he says.
McClean has been back in the headlines recently after moving to his hometown club Derry City.
Derry attempted to bin off McClean in August – despite signing him in January on a multi-year deal – reportedly claiming he is unable to fulfil his contract’s terms because he is not fit enough to play or train.
He has branded it ‘incomprehensible’ and a ‘dangerous precedent’ for the club to try and terminate his deal due to his physical issues.
And he told the Guardian: ‘I was meant to be coming home for the fairytale ending. But you quickly realise the promises are just b*******.
‘It’s not good. It’s a player against owner and there’s only one winner. I think that’s it in terms of Derry City. You never think you’ll be betrayed by your own so it’s painful.’
