J D Wetherspoon has overturned a ban on England shirts after a high-profile case involving a two-year-old boy.
The High Street pub chain got a bit of a battering in the national press ths week after bar staff in Leicester ordered two-year-old Charlie Elliott to turn his Three Lions shirt inside out or leave JDW's Lloyds No 1 in Leicester.
Previously the company did not have a unified stance on football shirts and many JDW pubs banned football strips of both national and domestic teams.
Last night Wetherspoons' top brass held a meeting and decided to clarify the company's policy and allow football shirts in all its pubs.
This will apply to domestic as well as national sides.
The only exception will be if the pub is asked by police not to allow football colours in the venues.
"Wetherspoons is 100% not banning football shirts in its pubs," said company spokesman Eddie Gershon.
"The case of this two year-old child did bring the situation to Wetherspoons' attention and following that, a meeting was held and it was decided that football shirts would be allowed."
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Your CommentsNorman Green via email 06/06/2006"Slowley but surely JD Wetherspoon are crippling the genuine pubs by introducing more and more of the things that they said they would never have. Music, TV's, Football.. with sound, and still allowed to sell cheap booze resulting in very unfair trading. How long before they introduce Karaoke?? We have in our pub quality ales and a great community atmosphere, something I am told on a regular basis that Wetherspoons don't have."
Kevin O'Connor via email 07/06/2006"How long will the lifting of the football shirt ban last?
England knocked out or the end of the world cup?
Paul Johnson via email 12/06/2006"Concerning Wetherspoons.I believe Wetherspoons should have stuck to their beliefs and kept football shirts & tv's out of their pubs.The minority of football supporters who are neanderthals are likely to cause trouble when Engerland are dumped out of the tournament.The equation is increased food / drink sales against damage to the pub/ customers and the loss of reputation that fighting causes.How many stabbings will occur over the World Cup Period as I doubt that many pubs will enforce the frisking of customers.
I totally disagree with Norman Green and his attack against Wetherspoons.The pub industry should be grateful to Tim Martin for the innovative approach he has taken.The big pubco's are happy to continually nick his and his companies ideas. Who does Mr Green is to state that Wetherspoon pubs are not genuine pubs?There is no definition for 'genuine pub ' in The Oxford English Dictionary.And for his comment that people tell him that Wetherspoons lack a community atmosphere is meaningless.Its newspeak.Its like papers that use quotations from a friend of , or a source.Pointless."