Bheggar My Neighbour

[Uilleam 5,518]

Someone has sent me this interesting piece on the RoI's bheggar my neighbour policy on players. 

 

https://www.msn.com/en-ie/sport/football/northern-irish-boss-claims-fai-use-‘sectarian’-tactics/ar-BBJQyR5?ocid=st

 

Northern Irish boss claims FAI use ‘sectarian’ tactics

 

Philip Quinn21 hrs ago

 

 

Sectarian Tactics

Michael O’Neill has rebuked the FAI for what he believes are ‘sectarian’ tactics regarding their pursuit of Northern Ireland-born players.

 

The first Ulster-born Catholic to manage Northern Ireland, O’Neill has labelled the FAI’s sourcing of Northern players as ‘weasel-like’ and claims defender Paddy McNair was only considered because of his name.

‘The FAI ever only approach one type of player: Catholic. You could argue that’s sectarian in terms of your recruitment, couldn’t you?’ suggested O’Neill.

‘They (FAI) thought Paddy must be a Catholic and when they found out he was a Protestant, they stayed away from it,’ said O’Neill.

The five players born in the North capped for the Republic of Ireland at senior level by Martin O’Neill are all Catholic: James McClean, Shane Duffy, Darron Gibson, Marc Wilson and Eunan O’Kane.

While there is speculation another Catholic, QPR striker Paul Smyth, a Belfast-born GAA fan, may be tempted to switch ranks under the contentious FIFA rule which allows a player born anywhere on the island to declare for the Republic.

 

‘You can’t assume just because a player from the North watches GAA that he wants to play for the Republic of Ireland. I liked the GAA, so did Jim Magilton, and Martin O’Neill,’ said O’Neill. ‘There was a recent article about Paul Smyth, which could easily have been written a few years ago about Stuart Dallas, when he was breaking into Brentford team.

‘But Stuart wasn’t mentioned. Why? Because he’s Protestant. That’s what annoys us the most.

‘I don’t have a huge fear of Paul going anywhere. We brought him with us to the Euros for the experience,’ added O’Neill who intends to elevate the U21 international into the senior ranks on the North’s end of season tour to Panama and Costa Rica.

 

O’Neill questioned the FAI’s ‘unscrupulous’ means of sourcing players with a direct bloodline to Northern Ireland.

‘There is no consultation, the Republic just go and weasel away and take the player,’ he said.

‘Daniel Devine of Partick Thistle is a West Belfast boy and would have gone to Euros (2016) with us. Only he can’t play for Northern Ireland as he’s signed an international transfer.’

 

‘They (FAI) don’t really care about the player, just care about taking him.

‘They’ve taken Northern Ireland players and not played them, Daniel was one, Rory Hale another. Rory Brown, a goalkeeper is the most recent.

‘I can list you 10 players who’ve made that decision and have never represented the Republic.

 

‘Why take them? What is point of asking a player to change his allegiance, to make a decision about his whole international future, and then not pick him?’

Shortly after his appointment as manager in January 2012, O’Neill spoke to McClean about playing for the North – he also tried to speak to Wilson who chose not to meet him.

‘I don’t have a problem with James McClean. He was 22 years of age, he knew what he wanted. I have a problem when it’s a 16, 17 or 18-year-old.’

 

To help prevent further seepage from Northern Ireland ranks, O’Neill will seek a ceasefire with his Republic of Ireland counterpart, a former captain of the North.

‘I hope to sit down with Martin and get some sort of gentleman’s agreement whereby if a young boy has represented Northern Ireland at aged 17 to 21, the FAI don’t ask him to change,’ said O’Neill.

‘Unless he’s the age of a senior international, or if he’s an exceptional player…and we’re not getting too many exceptional players.’

 

If a young Northern Ireland player explodes on the scene and ‘turns out to be a superstar’, O’Neill points out that ‘the FAI can get him before I cap him, they just have to stay on top of it.’

[Gonzo79 13,839]

I'm sure the Scottish press will be all over this story.

 

Perhaps not.

[StuGers 477]

2 hours ago, Gonzo79 said:

I'm sure the Scottish press will be all over this story.

 

Perhaps not.

The RoI seems to have a strange attraction to those of a certain faith in both NI and Scotland.

[cooponthewing 1,139]

I worked beside a Protestant girl who was from the republic a number of year ago. She said that discrimination was rife over there.