FIFA general secretary Fatma Samba Diouf Samoura has warned England and Scotland they could face sanctions if their teams wear commemorative poppies in their November 11 game.
The football associations of England and Scotland have vowed to defy world governing body FIFA, which bans players from wearing political, commercial and religious symbols during matches.
People in Britain wear poppies to remember the country's war dead and England's FA said it would be an "appropriate tribute" for the players to wear black armbands with red poppy emblems.
But Samoura told the BBC: "We have to apply uniformly and across the 211 member associations the laws of the game.
"Britain is not the only country that has been suffering from the result of war. The only question is why are we doing exceptions for just one country and not the rest of the world?"
England play Scotland in a World Cup qualifier at Wembley on November 11, which was the date the Armistice was signed to end World War I in 1918.
Asked if the teams could be punished for defying the ban, Samoura said: "It is not really my ambition to punish anybody.
"They just have to recognise themselves that they are part of the rules of the game and they should be ready to face any kind of sanctions or measures."
FIFA could elect to dock points if England and Scotland do not respect the ban, but English FA chief executive Martin Glenn does not believe it will come to that.
"We don't think we are breaking their law - we think they are misinterpreting it," he said. "I'm confident it won't come to anything draconian.
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