JONATHAN McEVOY: As they gather to 'defend' the Cenotaph, do these 'football supporters' really know the complex relationship between war and sport?

Sport's path should be to act as a balm, rather than a vessel for aggravation There are two ways of doing this. Mail Sport revealed that hooligans are planning to 'team up' and 'protect' the Cenotaph in London The decision had been taken not to light up the Wembley arches in honour of the Israeli dead after a Hamas attack Plans for fans to flock to the protection of the Cenotaph memorial exemplify how not to show consideration for the dead of the world wars of the last century and other conflicts Your browser does not support iframes. For example, it has always been my belief that English football was denuded of an entire cast of potential champions by our national sport's tin-eared decision to play on for a long period during the Great War of 1914-1918, as the manhood of Britain fought and died. A march calling for a ceasefire in the war in Gaza is planned for Remembrance Day on Saturday The war in Gaza broke out after Hamas terrorists killed 1,400 people in Israel and took more than 200 hostages Pro-Palestine protestors had graffitied a war memorial in Rochdale on Tuesday evening The move to bring in sportsmen intensified in early September of that year with the assistance of Arthur Conan Doyle. Left-arm spinner Colin Blythe took 100 wickets in 19 Tests with one in six professional cricketers that went to war dying Ronnie Poulton-Palmer was the captain of the England Rugby team, but lost his life in 1915 after being shot by a sniper Tom Finney was called up at 20 and served as a trooper in the Royal Armoured Corps - he went on to win 76 England caps That was the barbarity of one of the worst of all wars.