That left just two clubs to be pilloried – Manchester United and Liverpool. Apparently they were not showing ‘respect’ for the war dead.

A Manchester United spokesman justified the decision by saying the club helped Armed Forces charities all year round, not just for a few weeks in November.

Liverpool will auction their poppyless match shirts from Monday’s game with Birmingham to raise funds for the Royal British Legion.

Well, fair enough I say. Why can’t we leave it at that?

After all, it’s not like the two clubs have violated a long-standing tradition. Football teams have only worn embroidered poppies for the last few Novembers.

But worse than the Daily Mail, for my money, is the BBC which has for years taken the Thou Shalt Wear a Poppy policy to extremes.

Turn on the Beeb in early November and you’ll see a flash of red soon enough, whether on the lapel of an overpaid newsreader, a boring football pundit or a Z-list celebrity dancer.

No-one steps out in front of a BBC camera in November without a poppy.

This policy reached its illogical conclusion last year when the Beeb shipped half its journalists to America to cover the US presidential election. And there they all were in Washington, Justin Webb and co, wearing their poppies as they reported the election of Barack Obama.

Their little red symbols had obviously been brought over in advance as they could hardly have been purchased on the streets of the American capital.

The BBC’s strict poppy policy is apparently about showing respect for the war dead.

But wearing a poppy isn’t just about showing respect – it’s about actually giving money to help pay for the care of former soldiers and their families.

So next time you see someone on TV wearing a poppy, ask yourself this: Did that person actually put some coins in a tin to get that little red symbol?