Iām sorry mate, youāre the one who started going off the beaten track talking about traitors and being true to the Republic. The 26 County partitionist association certainly wasnāt that.
You are eligible to play for the FAI team if you can hold citizenship of Ireland, a State with no territorial claim on the 6 counties of Northern Ireland. The only way that the FAI side could be a representative team for the 32 counties of Ireland is if their territorial scope changed and eligibility was tied not to a country. Unless the FAI ditched the tri colour, ditched the anthem, removed the requirement for citizenship of Ireland and merged with the IFA then it will always be the representative side for the 26 counties and 26 alone. Itās quite simple, the FAI is the governing body for 26 counties and the IFA the 6.
Why do you keep harping on about administrators and associations when there are no barriers to anyone born in the 32 in playing for Ireland?
Youāve gone about 20 posts now failing to acknowledge a fact, instead focusing on side matters of pencil pushers. Address the issue and stop being a holocaust denier.
Keane was sent home from the World Cup. He is Irelandās greatest ever soccer player. In fact Irelandās greatest sportsman ever. If weād more people like Keane in Irish sport weād be in a much better place. Look at the Irish rugby supporters happy to go along with unlucky and brave shite after yesterdayās humiliation. Keane called it after the euros the Irish are too happy to go along for the sing songs. If we want to start winning things in any team sports weād want to completely change our mentality.
When did I deny it? I said they were eligible to play for the ROI, just like any other player with a Grandparent from Ireland who can get an Irish passport. The Irish passport is for the 26 county Republic. That is who they are representing by a quirk of eligibility. The Football Association of Ireland is a 26 county organisation, the Irish Football Association is a 6 county one. I know it must be tough to be from the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland but those are the facts. The FAI side cannot be the 32 county representative team until the IFA one ceases to exist.
All the birds - āah it was really sad, when they got it back to three points it looked like we had it. Would have won if Paulie and sexton were playing.ā
Me - āBosnia will be tough, will really miss Walters and OāShea in that first leg.ā
Then proceeded to walk away whistling to myself, leaving them confused and baffled.
They donāt need a grandparent or any heritage to the 26 to play for Ireland. They can play for Ireland because itās a human right for them to obtain Irish nationality by virtue of being born in the 32. It is a de facto 32 county representative as there are no barriers to ANYONE born in the 32 counties playing for Ireland?
What is your issue with that? Do you object to Irish people from the O6 playing under the tricolour?
They are entitled to citizenship of the 26 County Republic which holds no territorial claim over Northern Ireland. Just like people with grandparents are able to represent the 26 counties.
I donāt object at all, but they arenāt repping Tyrone or Derry when they play under the tri colour. Playing under the tri colour and the tri colour alone is just evidence that they are not representing the 32 Counties. The team that represents the Six Counties will be playing this summer in the European Championships in France. There is no āde factoā about it. Association football is a partitioned sport on this island.
Itās entirely irrelevant, they are not the representative team for Northern Ireland as playing for the Republic of Ireland is linked to citizenship of the 26 County Irish republic. They solely play under the anthem of the Irish Republic, the flag of the Irish Republic and are the senior team of the administrators of the 26 county association for football in this country. The FAI do not fund football up north, the IFA do.
All these players are is eligible for the ROI.
The properly integrated sports associations and teams on this island are not tied to this. One can use a British passport to represent Ireland.
Itās entirely relevant, the players are the most important part of the game. Ireland can field players from 32 counties with no barriers to it and this seems to sit very uneasy with you.
Is it because we can put our boys before a tricolour with no problem, at home or abroad.
Iāve been a bit more up front myself, singing Donāt cry for me Argentinaā¦ and loudly statingā¦ thatās that bandwagon dismantled for another 4 years.
a colleague of mine ālikedā thisā¦
the comments on facebook
Thank you for your service Rala. You were a very important member of the team even if the lads liked to wind you up now and again (or all the time).
Still love the story about you and Donnacha (think it was him) being locked in the bathroom of your hotel room while washing rugby balls by the lads. Using a resistance band over the handle of the bathroom door and then over the room door (slamming it shut) was genius.
Or hog tying you and putting you under the Christmas tree in the Shelbourne Hotel.
