He didnāt come out and say it. He was pressed hard on it at the interview. How do you know itās nothing to do with race?
I thought it was a shocking line of questioning. It looks like Covid has had little to no impact on him so why are they trying to vilify him for what on the face of it looks like a sensible choice.
10 hours ago 44,831 Views 87 Comments
Callum Robinson speaks to the media.
Image: Evan Treacy/INPHO
REPUBLIC OF IRELAND international Callum Robinson has yet to take a Covid-19 vaccine.
Robinson told a press conference today he has decided not to take the vaccine, in spite of the fact he has contracted the virus twice. He missed Irish international matches on both occasions: he first tested positive in November last year, meaning he missed Irelandās friendly with England along with subsequent Nations League games with Wales and Bulgaria.
He then tested positive again in August of this year, which led him to miss Irelandās World Cup qualifier against Portugal. He returned for the home games with Azerbaijan and Serbia but was not fit enough to start either game.
Robinson also missed Nations League games at home to Wales and away to Finland in October of last year, as he was identified as a close contact of a separate positive case in the Irish squad. Under current guidelines, unvaccinated players would still be forced to miss games as close contacts of positive cases, with vaccinated players exempt.
āItās everyoneās personal choiceā, Robinson told journalists at a press conference earlier today when asked if he agreed with Jurgen Kloppās comments that people had a responsibility to take the vaccine. āI canāt tell anyone to get it and I canāt tell people not to.ā
When asked as to what his choice is, Robinson replied, āI havenāt been vaccinated, no. Thatās my choice at this moment in time.ā
āAs I said, itās obviously annoying that Iāve caught [Covid-19] twice but I havenāt been vaccinated. Further down the line I could change my mind and want to do it but at this moment in time I havenāt been vaccinated, no.
āI just havenāt done it. Itās your personal choice and my choice at this moment in time, I havenāt been vaccinated. I know, as you said, there are managers and people that will want you to do it, which is [their] right, but everyone has their choice and what they want to do. I wouldnāt force people to do it, itās your choice and your body.
Robinson accepts he has lost international caps because of the virus ā āI definitely lost caps because of the coronavirus, which is obviously so annoying that the virus can take caps away from youā ā though accepted the point made by a follow-up question, that he would have been far less likely to miss the Portugal game had he decided to take the jab.
āThe other month? Yeah I know, but as I said that was my choice, I havenāt been vaccinated. Thatās where Iām at at the moment. Things might change where I want to get vaccinated, I want to do it but at this moment in time I havenāt made that decision.ā
It was then pointed out to Robinson that he was more likely to carry and transmit the virus to those around him given he is not vaccinated, to which he replied, āObviously we do all our tests, we have to test before we come here. We have had our tests already since I have been here, we are testing every two or three days while we are here. So you could say itās a risk but itās a risk for everyone, you can still catch it.ā
Unvaccinated players are undergoing more Covid tests in this Irish international camp than vaccinated players. While all players and staff are tested prior to meeting up with the squad, regardless of their vaccination status, vaccinated players are then exempt from further testing, while the unvaccinated players must be tested again within 72 hours of each game. They must also do an additional test prior to their return home to the UK.
The FAI bear the costs of all the tests that are undertaken.
Manager Stephen Kenny was later asked for his reaction to the fact Robinson has declined the vaccine.
āI am double vaccinated myself and, ideally of course, weād like everyone [to be fully vaccinated.]
āI trust the medical experts , Iām not an expert myself in that field, far from it. I trust the medical experts and they recommend that it gets done. It makes it a safer environment for everyone.
āBut weāre not in a position where we can insist on it and we have to respect individualsā rights as well. That is something that we have to learn to live with.ā
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Stephen Kenny leaves his press conference at the FAI training centre at Abbottstown, with Covid guidelines evident on the wall.Source: James Crombie/INPHO
Robinson is not the only member of the 26-man Irish squad yet to be vaccinated. Kenny declined to give a precise number but, when pushed, said it āwouldnāt be too many moreā than single figures, while Ireland U21 manager Jim Crawford last week revealed seven players in his squad had yet to receive the jab, all of whom are at risk of being unable to play an upcoming European Championship qualifier in Montenegro as the country is on the UKās red list.
Kenny was asked what message these facts sent out.
āWell, I think it would be quite a radical viewpoint to just say āRight, whoever is not vaccinated is not being selected in the futureā. Iām not aware of anybody who has done that in any sport at the moment.
āSo, for me to just come and decide that would be extremely radical.
āThe fact that Montenegro is on the UKās red list is something we canāt get around at the moment. Thatās a very difficult situation for Jim Crawford and the 21s team.
āI think for individual associations to just come together to decide not to select any player that hasnāt got [the vaccine] would create as many problems. They are problems we donāt need to have.ā
While the government require all journalists and supporters travelling from Ireland to Azerbaijan for Saturdayās game to show proof of immunity from Covid-19 along with a negative PCR test, Uefa currently do not require players to show immunity to the virus to play games.
Just as any other player would have been asked if he had taken it
So they just asked the black player?
Interesting, youāre not exactly helping your case here.
Eh no, he was the one put up for the interview
So what white players were asked if they were double vaccinated?
Skip to 11:30
No white players have been put up for a press conference yet
Yes they have. Ireland have played loads of games in 2021 with players made available post and pre match for interviews.
Iāll ask again, what white players were asked on their vaccination status?
This is going to be asked in every single press conference around the place after Klopp made it front page news. There is fuck all happening football wise during international week and the journalists are stuck for questions
Playing the race card here is pretty fucking tragic
Ah here, I was talking about this international break. It has become a bigger issue recently as it has come out that the vaccination figures in the PL and EFL are low and Kloppās comments
So when the journalists get a black player up for interview they decide to interrogate him and try and make him out to be an idiot on his vaccination status?
Thereās certainly a racial angle to this.
The journalists donāt choose who the FAI put up for the interview. They would have interrogated anybody that went up and will in the coming days if other players are in press conferences pre game.
But they do choose what questions to ask.
Thereās a black guy, letās grill him about his vaccine status and portray him as some sort of quack or conspiracy theorist.
I think itās very obvious the journalistic angle was here and I think it was shocking and had a racial twist towards it.
Iām sorry thatās just speculation, they have refused to do this to any white player the past 9 months.
They would have done the same with anybody
Zero basis for that opinion. They have had 9 months where they didnāt interrogate any Irish white player on it.
I refer you to my previous post
No it hasnāt.
It was a big issue at the start of the season and in the last international break.
26th of August.
Now which Irish international was asked on their vaccine status in the last international break?
Sad to see you defending the type of narrow minded and racial profiling vaccine fascist sports journalists are contending with.
Fat hacks behind keyboards who eat chilli nachos for lunch trying to vilify a pro athlete who plays at a high level about what they do with their body, you couldnāt make it up.
Calum Robinson will be disappointed to hear that he wont be allowed into Whelanās in NCW from the 22nd.
Iāll just leave it there and Iāll get back to you when a white Ireland player is asked the exact same question in the next few days if they are put up for a press conference
