The Football Association of Ireland and the Irish Football Association have announced the creation of a new cross-border tournament – the Unite the Union Champions Cup. The competition will be sponsored by the trade union Unite, and will see the SSE Airtricity League Champions play the winners of the Danske Bank Premiership in a two-legged final Its first edition will …
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Ireland and Northern Ireland look set to co-host the Under 21s European Championship in either 2021 or 2023 according to reports. Daniel McDonnell of the Independent.ie is reporting that the meeting between the FAI chief executive John Delaney and his IFA counterpart Patrick Nelson will have the announcement of the tournament at the top of the agenda. The pair are in …
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Michael O’Neill’s has expressed his disappointment with the FAI over their pursuit for young Northern Irish players. His comments come in the wake of Jordan McEneff’s debut for the Republic of Ireland Under-16s. The Arsenal youth and his brother, Aaron of Derry City, both recently switched their international allegiances from Northern Ireland to the Republic of Ireland. “We know we will …
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Ok. I know. You’ve read the headline and thought to yourself “Jesus, that’s a bit strong isn’t it?” It’s the usual tactic. I think “click-bait” is what it’s pejoratively referred to in the media industry. It’s Conor McGregor saying he’s going to kill his next opponent. It’s Arsenal being tipped to buy a top striker (yeah, right). It’s Katie Price having cellulite …
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He came, he saw, he conquered. The remarkable tale of Mohammed Salim. Name the first Indian footballer to play in Great Britain. It’s not an easy question but the answer brings up a fascinating story of a barefooted superstar who briefly set Scottish football alight. That man was Mohammed Salim and the club was Glasgow Celtic. Born in Calcutta in …
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“Hope is being able to see that there is light despite all of the darkness.” – Desmond Tutu In our last article we looked at the highs of the Northern Ireland 1958 World Cup campaign in Sweden. But such success wasn’t just confined to the North. The Republic was also improving as a team and there was a sense of optimism …
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“If you don’t believe you can win, there is no point in getting out of bed at the end of the day”- Neville ‘Big Nev’ Southall Irish football, as we have seen in this series, is a complicated affair often dominated by politics. Interspersed with the drama however is joy, ecstasy and delight. This comes most spectacularly in the form of tournament …
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Our historical and insightful look into the history of football on the island of Ireland continues this week as we examine the squabbling between the FAI and IFA as they battled to attract players. “It’s not that you shouldn’t be neutral. It’s that you won’t be able to stay neutral.” – Christopher Hitchens. In last week’s article we detailed the aftermath of the …
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Our journey into the foundation of Irish football continues as we discuss the repercussions for the FAI following the Home Nations’ decision to boycott the national side south of the border. “Politics: Who gets what when and how” – Harold Lasswel. In last week’s article we looked at the great split in Irish football between the FAI and the IFA, a …
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Our look at the establishment of Irish football continues as Conor Heffernan delves into the ramifications of the Easter Rising for the future of the game. “Every action of our lives touches on some chord that will vibrate in eternity” -Edwin Hubbell Chapin We finished up last week’s article with the establishment of the Irish Football Association and Ireland’s first …
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