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FIFA Suggest Apartheid in Irish Football
In a proposal that could ultimately lead to the demise of one of the world's oldest Football Associations, FIFA's legal committee have suggested that there should be 2 notionally all-Ireland teams: one for Gaelic/Catholic nationalist and republicans and one for Planter Scum/Protestant unionists. Naturally the Irish FA are "seeking clarification".
OK, those weren't FIFA's exact words, but that about sums up the suggested "compromise" which emanated from FIFA's Zurich headquarters last night, running contrary to what was leaked (apparently from the FAI) last week. They suggested that both the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland sides (assuming they would still call themselves that) select players born anywhere in Ireland, north or south of the border, effectively creating two all-Ireland teams split along religious/political lines.
Follow up:
One would have thought the ramifications of this would be fairly obvious. Aside from creating apartheid in Irish football, one wonders how FIFA could justify two teams from one area representing the same territory when they seem to determined to get rid of the four British teams even though they represent 4 different territories despite what I think were guarantees made in return for this. Why not go the whole hog and allow all 4 British teams to pick from all over the United Kingdom? It makes as much sense. Historically though a mutual respect has prevented this. Sadly the word appears to be missing from whatever dictionary is in use at Merrion Square.
If this goes ahead will FIFA entertain similar claims from people in other parts of the world that they should be allowed to play for another country based on political aspirations? More worrying than that though, this move represents capitulation to sectarian bigots in the FAI and support for their irredentist aims of destroying and replacing the original Irish FA. Worst of all though, it represents the potential end of a Northern Ireland team made up of a cross-section of Northern Ireland's community, both Protestants and Catholics, and leaves the way open for young players from nationalist areas to be "encouraged" by "community leaders" to make sure they "choose" to play for the "right" Irish team.
The IFA need to reject this ill-conceived proposal in the starkest possible way and consider ending their co-operation with the FAI on matters like the Setanta Cup and the proposed Celtic Cup. FIFA need to take a long hard look at what this will do not only to football in Ireland, but at the precedent it could set and ask why a footballing body is capitulating to political pressure. Finally the FAI, who originally objected to the Irish FA picking players from the Republic 50 years ago, need to crawl back under whatever sectarian stone they emerged from and take their divisive, covetous bullshit with them.