FAI: youth game in north requires IFA permission

Rep. Ireland youth game at the Brandywell?

SPEAKING to Dave O'Grady on the You Boys in Green Football Show, FAI Chief Executive John Delaney responded to a number of questions from Republic of Ireland football fans. It was put to Mr Delaney that, considering the amount of players currently in FAI teams hailing from the north of Ireland, particularly Derry, and the tendency to scatter youth games around Ireland, would the association ever consider staging an under-age international at the Brandywell, the home of League of Ireland side Derry City.

Delaney's response was characterised by a noticeable depth of feeling. The emotion was palpable as he recalled his memories of Derry City entering theLeague of Ireland in the late 1980s and the day that the Football Association of Ireland won their landmark case at the Court ofArbitration for Sport (CAS) in the summer of 2010. “I was pleased,” said Delaney of the CAS verdict, “because it gave the players a right of choice.”

However, the FAI CEO conceded that, while he may personally be in favour of the idea of holding a youth international game in Northern Ireland, it would ultimately rely on permission from the Belfast-based IFA and such is the sensitivity of the eligibility topic within IFA circles, that permission would probably not be forthcoming. “I think you've got to respect that it might be seen as going 'a bridge too far' by the IFA, who actually run football in the north of Ireland”, mused Delaney diplomatically.

The only impediment, then, may come in the form of protest from the IFA. As Delaney notes, the IFA might possibly see it as a further insult to the integrity of their autonomy as the governing body of football in Northern Ireland. Delaney suggests that it would be difficult considering how sensitive the IFA are to the eligibility debate but, despite the occasional overflow of discontent from disgruntled Northern Ireland fans, that debate is settled and this is a separate idea – merely one of playing a game in the north. Naturally enough, certain areas in Northern Ireland would be more open to the idea of having a Republic of Ireland match staged in their neighbourhood.

One expects that there would be little difficulty in staging a game at the Brandywell in Derry, for example. The Brandywell is, after all, the home of a club which plies its trade in the FAI's domestic league. Add to that the fact that several current Ireland internationals, such as Darron Gibson, James McClean and Shane Duffy all hail from Derry, while some current and former Ireland youth internationals make up the Derry City squad.

And with so many people in the north already supporting the Republic of Ireland rather than Northern Ireland, would staging the odd youth game (perhaps even just one) in Derry really make much of a difference to that reality? Probably not.

A Rocky Road to Recovery

"This man shouldn't be playing football. He's made an almost Lazarus-like recovery from a ruptured artery. Lazarus was a great man but he couldn't play football like Shane Duffy." 
- to paraphrase Mícheál Ó Muircheartaigh

On a fine summer's day on the coastal town of Malahide outside Dublin, the Republic of Ireland senior squad were preparing for a behind-closed-doors friendly. Having already defeated the U23 League of Ireland team managed by Paul Doolin they were about to take on the amateur Republic of Ireland team. Giovanni Trapattoni prowled back and forth on the training ground, watching his troops train, pulling one or two of them to the side to emphasise his instructions. 18 year old Shane Duffy among them.

After defeating the under 23 Republic of Ireland team 1-0, Liam Lawrence said, “Shane Duffy is only a young lad but if he keeps his head down, he'll have a good future.”. The youngest player in the training squad, Duffy was part of a defence which included Darren O'Dea, Paul McShane and Greg Cunningham. His first performance in an Ireland shirt elicited the highest praise from football critics across the country. It would normally seem quite unusual to associate certain superlatives with a centre back, but the Evening Herald described the young Derry man as an unearthed 'gem'.

“... with top-class Irish central defenders very hard to find at the top level, Duffy is a real find. He proved that last night as the Derry native was the stand-out player in the Republic of Ireland senior side which defeated the U23s 1-0 thanks to a 21st-minute goal from Anthony Stokes.” 

The Irish Star suggested that his maturity on the field belied his tender years, comparing him to two of Ireland's defensive stalwarts when they suggested that he was 'a Mick McCarthy with skills more akin to David O'Leary'. There was a resounding atmosphere of expectation surrounding the Everton youngster.

But disaster soon struck. Early into the first half of the game against the amateurs, Duffy fell to the ground clutching his chest after colliding with goalkeeper Adrian Walsh. Failing to stand, he rolled over, and repeatedly smacked the ground, writhing in agony. In what was a freak occurrence, he had ruptured his hepatic artery and were it not for the remarkable and courageous work of the FAI's medical team, Professor John O'Byrne and Alan Byrne, as well as the expertise of Gerry McEntee, Irish football may have suffered a terrible tragedy.

Amazingly however, Duffy left the hospital a mere week after the incident, walking out to greet reporters with a huge smile on his face. “It's Lazarus!”, exclaimed one excited journalist. Doctors suggested that he would not be playing again until December of 2010, at the very least. Duffy had other plans. Just thirteen weeks after surgery in August 2010, he was playing in a pre-season friendly against Sligo Rovers.

Fast forward just under 20 months and two short loan spells later and the Everton players travel to Villa Park to take on Aston Villa. 20 year old Shane Duffy among them. He looks set for his first Premier League start. His journey has been unbelievable.

'Round and 'Round the Merry-Go-Round goes...

And the merry-go-round goes ‘round and ‘round. No sign of stopping, it seems.

The indignation expressed by many Northern Ireland fans regarding the so-called ‘Eligibility Row’ shows no signs of waning and it will only be to the detriment of the IFA. In an age where the internet pervades almost every aspect of our lives, the anger can, perhaps, be most loudly heard on online forums, social-networking sites and blogs. The target of this outrage is primarily the Football Association of Ireland, but the players who have made the switch from the IFA to the FAI have also found themselves denounced.

The FAI has been ludicrously portrayed as a sort of sinister child-catching agency, luring naïve young men from football pitches around Northern Ireland in a bid to ensure that the IFA’s team becomes exclusively Protestant. Please, hold the laughter. Players, meanwhile, have had their characters denigrated with all sorts of accusations being thrown their way. Sectarian mercenaries, is what most are being called. All this for legitimately, and one would think reasonably, opting to play for their national team - nothing too serious, right?

Preston North End player Adam Barton is the latest in a line of players who have switched to the FAI from the IFA and, as such, he has been the hot-topic for fans to discuss. However, when the whole affair came to the fore in the Spring of 2010, it was Shane Duffy who became the target for criticism. When it was announced that Duffy would rather play for the FAI, the then 18 year old was branded a sectarian ‘Judas’ by Northern Ireland fans. Just over a year later it seems that the sour taste has yet to be washed away.

The social-networking website, Twitter, has allowed footballers and all kinds of celebrities greater interaction with their fans. Fans revel in this access and even a cursory glance at some pages is enough to demonstrate the excitement that fans get when their favourite player replies to their comments. However, it isn’t always nice, as Shane Duffy was to find. While he was taking part in preparations for a game, Duffy was subject to a tirade from an evidently incensed Northern Ireland fan, who stated that the 19 year old was a ’prick’ who did not deserve to play for his country. When Duffy replied, informing the fellow that he didn’t know what he was talking about, he was subject to further harassment. I feel that the angry fan’s words should be quoted verbatim in order to expose the pettiness (if you can, try to look past the poor grammar, spelling and punctuation - I’m sure it was difficult for the man to find clarity when embarking on a good old rant).

“lol… Im not your mate. U turned your back on your country. If u wanted to play for eire why did u ever play for ni at school boy level? Some other lad could have played in your place, prob would have given their right arm to do so. Anyhow u wouldnt have got on… Once everton release u and u don’t get off da bench for eire u will wake up and say, “shane, I made a mistake. I was a silly little boy”

Granted, this was the only occurrence of this kind of harassment on Duffy‘s personal Twitter page, but it undoubtedly reflects a view that has been expressed vehemently by a number of Northern Ireland fans on a variety of internet forums. Those who hold such views often protest that they are entitled to their opinion, but the simple fact is that such short-sightedness is a certain hindrance to the IFA, as it will discourage more players from wanting to play for them in the future.


In Duffy’s case, Northern Ireland fans seem to take offence at the fact that in an interview with the Irish Times shortly after his switch to the FAI, Duffy remarked that everyone in the Northern Ireland set-up had known that he was a Catholic and that he wanted to play for Ireland. The comment itself, from a naïve 18 year-old no less, was harmless, but there is a section of the Northern Ireland support who are intent on the vilification of Duffy, by twisting his words to present the kid as opportunistic, sinister and sectarian. Of course, it’s probably easier for those fans to engage in such disparagement than to look at the reasons why a young player might not have such a strong desire to play for the IFA. Indeed anyone familiar with football and society in Northern Ireland would have known Duffy was from such a background - at under-age games, his head, along with many others’, would be bowed low during the playing of the divisive anthem, ‘God Save the Queen’. Such a sight must surely cause severe embarrassment among the IFA chiefs and fans, yet there is still no sign of a change. Duffy had also shown indications that he wanted to switch the FAI from the ages of 16 and 17, but was persuaded to stick around by his coaches and Nigel Worthington, who offered him ‘carrot-caps’ as an incentive - tactical capping, as it is now known.

Duffy declared for the FAI at the ripe age of 18. That’s right, eighteen. And this after having played for the IFA representative teams for little over two years. It is now over a year later. It’s time for the IFA and its fans to wise up and move on.