Refusing to wear a poppy, a balaclava 'school history lesson', 'IRA sympathiser' claims and a 'Free Derry' tattoo: Controversies of Irish Wrexham star James McClean as he taunts fans after refusing to

From home schooling his children on history in a balaclava - widely interpreted as a nod to the IRA - to singing about 'hating' the King 'at the top of my lungs', James McClean is no stranger to controversy - in fact he admits he brings it on himself.

The Irish international, 35, who has a 'Free Derry' tattoo on his leg, has hit the headlines again after yet another very public, and pointed, refusal to wear a poppy against Mansfield.

He has previously compared British soldiers to 'terrorists' and said that there is ‘an arrogance' in Britain about Irish and Northern Irish history, declaring: 'They see themselves as superior to us'.

It came as a new video emerged of McClean appearing to blow kisses toward the Mansfield supporters after the final whistle, hours before he flew to Ireland to watch his beloved Derry City with his wife Erin, the mother of his four children.

Mrs McClean tweeted of the poppy furore last night: 'I don’t know about the rest of you… but this is just boring now. 12 years on you’d think it’d be old news'.

Her husband's team Wrexham has become famous around the world after it was taken over by actors Rob McElhenney and Ryan Reynolds and featured on popular Disney+ documentary Welcome To Wrexham.

But there are growing questions about how the club's acutely PR conscious Hollywood owner will view their captain taunting Mansfield fans after his Remembrance Day protest on Saturday, especially as McElhenney and Reynolds have hosted both King Charles and Prince Williams in the past two years.

James McClean stood separate to his team-mates observing a moment of silence on Saturday - and again refused to wear a poppy

McClean appears to blows kisses at Mansfield fans on Saturday

McClean's wife Erin posted pictures of them smiling together watching Derry City's Irish Cup final defeat to Drogheda United yesterday. She said that she thought his protest is 'old news' and 'boring now'

McClean posted a controversial picture of himself in lockdown 'jokingly' home schooling his children in a balaclava, which was interpreted as a reference to the IRA

Inked just below one a tattoo of Free Derry - - a self-declared autonomous Irish nationalist area of the city in the Troubles - McClean has a quote from author and playwright Enid Bagnold, the British writer and playwright best known for the 1935 story National Velvet

Wrexham Football Club co-owner Ryan Reynolds speaks with King Charles, as he visits in December 2022

Prince William visited Wrexham and paid tribute to the work done in getting the club back into the Football League in March

More than 35,000 brave Irishmen were killed serving in the British military during the First World War. A further 10,000 were killed in the Second World War, despite Ireland now being neutral and independent, when 80,000 Irish-born men and women still joined the British armed forces to fight.

But on Saturday McClean stood apart from his Wrexham teammates during the minute's silence before kick-off and asked not to wear an embroidered poppy on his shirt.

The crowd began to chant that McClean 'hates the f***ing King' seconds after the silence ended - and he said defiantly afterwards that he will never 'bend the knee' and wear the symbol of remembrance and hope for peace in the future.

Brand and culture expert Nick Ede told MailOnline that that this will cause a headache for Wrexham's famous owners, Rob McElhenney and Ryan Reynolds.

He said: 'He’s representing a team who have the whole world watching and two big Hollywood stars as bosses.

'The reputation of the club is of paramount importance and James' opinions could be problematic.

'The taunting of fans and the anti-monarchy stance doesn’t look good especially when the club was visited by the king and queen.

'It can lead to embarrassment for Ryan and rob who have built the club into a brand known globally'.

McClean has a contract with Wrexham which ties him to the League One club until the summer of 2026 - but Mr Ede believes that Reynolds and McElhenney will be watching carefully in case he damages their brand.

'All eyes will be on him. Wrexham has become a phenomenon both off and on the pitch and they will not want negativity to lead on media hurting them or the reputation of the club that they have spent so long to build up'.

McClean has refused to wear the poppy throughout his career, which has taken him to the Premier League and 103 caps for Ireland, having represented Northern Ireland at u21 level.

He is not the only footballer not to wear a poppy. McClean, now Wrexham's captain, even have sympathy in some quarters for his stand believed to be mainly related to his anger at the 1972 Bloody Sunday massacre where the British Army opened fire on crowds in Londonderry, killing 13 people.

Wrexham's Paul Mullin posted an image of himself with his Irish teammate James McClean with the caption 'and we hate the f***ing king!'

This was then re-posted by McClean, who added he caption 'we serve no king or kaiser but Ireland! Sue me'

He said previously that people were entitled to disagree with him, as long as they 'respect' his view - the only problem has been that his protests, and insults, aimed at England and Britain have gone much further.

In a 397-word statement yesterday morning, McClean reiterated his stance was because of the 'brutal crimes' carried out by British soldiers when they shot dead thirteen unarmed civilians during Bloody Sunday in 1972.

'That is why I never have and never will wear a poppy,' he told his 120,000 followers.

He added: 'One thing I never have and never will do, is bend the knee to compromise my convictions.'

It came as footage of McClean being interviewed by Patrick Kielty on the Late Late Show emerged on Twitter in which he made comparisons between the IRA and the British Army.

Mr Kielty's father was murdered during The Troubles.

In his career in football he has never worn a poppy, but has also turned his back on the English flag at matches and even worn a Palestine flag badge on his shirt collar.

McClean's outbursts have regularly attracted scorn, and in some cases, official sanction.

In April McClean sported a Palestine flag badge on his collar while warming up for Wrexham for a game against Doncaster Rovers on April 2 - in an apparent breach of EFL rules restricting political statements.

Born in Londonderry, the footballer started out playing for his local club before beginning his Premier League career with Sunderland in 2011. Spells at Wigan, West Brom and Stoke followed before he signed for Wrexham in 2023.

Controversial Irish star James McClean saluted Wrexham fans singing a chant that includes the worlds 'he hates the f***ing King' when they were promoted to League 1

McClean doubled down in an Instagram post, saying he 'sang along at the top of my lungs'

Footage earlier this year showed McClean walking up to Wrexham fans who were singing for him following the Welsh side's 6-0 thrashing of Forest Green Rovers that secured them promotion into League One.

The Irishman is seen urging the crowd to continue singing the song, one line of which says: 'He hates the f***ing King'.

It came just a few weeks after Prince William visited Wrexham's Racecourse Ground to meet staff and players, and hear about how the club has risen since the takeover by Hollywood stars Rob McElhenney and Ryan Reynolds.

King Charles met the Hollywood duo on his own visit to Wrexham in December 2022, while Prince William met McElhenney, manager Phil Parkinson, plus players Ben Tozer and Luke Young on St David's Day last month.

Taking to Instagram, McClean shared a screenshot of a MailOnline story about the song incident and wrote: 'Is this correct? Absolutely and I also sang along at the top of my lungs.'

He added: 'Do I make any apologies for doing so? Absolutely not'.

McClean first made headlines in 2012 over his personal decision not to wear a poppy in the lead-up to Remembrance Day, a decision which led to him being booed by some of his own fans.

He continued this stance throughout his career in England, leading to him being targeted by sectarian abuse.

McClean was celebrating with the Wrexham fans after they earned promotion at the weekend

It came just a few weeks after Prince William visited Wrexham's Racecourse Ground to meet staff and players

The footballer could be seen wearing a Palestine flag badge on his collar for a game against Doncaster Rovers on April 2

Explaining the decision, he cited Bloody Sunday - which saw British Soldiers shoot dead 26 unarmed civilians in his home city of Londonderry, known to nationalists as Derry.

The Irish international later hit out at the abuse he had received for the decision and insisted he only wanted 'respect'.

He told Sky News: 'I wouldn't say: 'Oh, look at him wearing a poppy.' It doesn't bother me that people have their views. I understand that people have different values from me and different beliefs.

'I respect that. Just because I don't fall in line, that doesn't mean I disrespect or I hate you. All I'm asking for is to be respected for my beliefs in return. It's as simple as that.'

After being booed by Wigan fans in 2022, the footballer took to Instagram to complain of the abuse he had been receiving.

He wrote: 'For my son, who is seven years old and watches every Wigan game... to be asking his mother, ‘why are they booing and singing that song at Daddy?’ And to have to tip toe around answering him is something which should not be happening.'

The FA previously investigated fans singing anti-Pope and anti-IRA songs towards McClean on a number of occasions.

McClean turned away from the cross of St George when the British national anthem played during a pre-season friendly for West Brom in 2015

Last September, McClean admitted regrets about posting a controversial picture of himself in lockdown 'jokingly' home schooling his children in a balaclava, which was interpreted as a reference to the IRA.

The image shared on an Instagram story to his 22,000 followers depicts him sitting on a box with two young children sitting on the carpet attentively in front of him.

McClean was fined two weeks of wages by Stoke City for the post in 2020. It was subsequently removed.

He called the post a 'mistake', adding: 'I regret it in one sense because it's given people now an opportunity to say "well he brings it on himself." Every time my name gets brought up, they just attach that picture to it.

'That was just bad judgement on my part. It was supposed to be a joke and it wasn't a joke. And it turned out just to be an absolute disaster judgement call. It's given people an opportunity to justify the abuse.'

McClean first made a name for himself in the Premier League in 2011 as he joined Sunderland - playing 70 times for the Black Cats.

In 2013 he was banned from X after he professed his love for The Broad Black Brimmer, a song by the Wolfe Tones that tells of a boy whose father is killed while fighting for the IRA during the 1920s.

DUP MP Gregory Campbell called for Sunderland to sack McClean if he made another similar outburst.

The winger Wigan in 2013, where he enjoyed 86 outings, before heading to West Bromwich Albion in 2015.

But he quickly broke ranks with his new teammates by turning to his right and facing downwards as the British national anthem was played before a pre-season friendly at the Blackbaud Stadium in Charleston, South Carolina.

McClean went on to help the Premier League side defeat American opponents Charleston Battery 2-1, but his actions prompted angry exchanges on social media.

The footballer has described himself as a 'proud Fenian' and has a tattoo of Free Derry - a self-declared autonomous Irish nationalist area of the city during the Troubles.

The winger, who has 103 caps for the Republic of Ireland, joined Wigan for two years before moving to Wrexham in August 2023. He has netted four goals during 42 appearances so far.

Last year, he revealed he had been diagnosed with autism.

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