FAI Chief offers use of Aviva stadium to OWC Fans!

[Solomon Kane]

Didnt John Hartson get booed at windsor due to his celtic connections?

Can't comment about Hartson  but in the  one and only time I have been  in Windsor park , the North were playing Switzerland and Ramon Vega got abuse from sections of the crowd as he was with Celtic at the time,

I was at that game too. It was in April 1998. That was extremely perceptive of Northern Ireland fans as Vega didn't go on loan with Celtic until December 2000. Mind you, myth and reality does get a bit mixed up sometimes, doesn't it?

 

[Aerlik]

Well, they 6-counties fans should get used to Aviva...it will be their national stadium sooner rather than later as plans are afoot to reunite the soccer federations.  And not about time.

[saffron sam2]

What else could they possibly do? I think this is above and beyond what a lot of other associations would do.

Given that you've asked I think they could also do the following:

1. Investigate racism and the use of clearly racist terms on sites such as www.ourweecountry.co.uk. Since there will be a match against the free state in May and these terms are generally used to refer to free state supporters, there is clearly a danger that such terms will be repeated at the game. Better to act proactively and ban for life anyone who can be identified as a racist. Like Ealing Green for example.

2. Discuss with the Amalgamation of NISC if it is really a good idea to have as a spokesperson an individual who has been involved in sectarian (i.e. anti-Catholic) protest in north Belfast.

Hope this helps.

Personally, I don't think Mr Gage's actions warrant a sine die ban. Nor should hanging one muppet out to dry, be held up as proof of anything.

[Maguire01]

What else could they possibly do? I think this is above and beyond what a lot of other associations would do.

Given that you've asked I think they could also do the following:

1. Investigate racism and the use of clearly racist terms on sites such as www.ourweecountry.co.uk. Since there will be a match against the free state in May and these terms are generally used to refer to free state supporters, there is clearly a danger that such terms will be repeated at the game. Better to act proactively and ban for life anyone who can be identified as a racist. Like Ealing Green for example.

2. Discuss with the Amalgamation of NISC if it is really a good idea to have as a spokesperson an individual who has been involved in sectarian (i.e. anti-Catholic) protest in north Belfast.

Hope this helps.

Personally, I don't think Mr Gage's actions warrant a sine die ban. Nor should hanging one muppet out to dry, be held up as proof of anything.

With regard to your first issue, I didn't realise that the OWC site was under the control of the IFA. I thought it had a similar status to this board.

On the second issue, I don't know the individual you're talking about. Did he refuse to condemn the actions?

[Evil Genius]

What else could they possibly do? I think this is above and beyond what a lot of other associations would do.

Given that you've asked I think they could also do the following:

1. Investigate racism and the use of clearly racist terms on sites such as www.ourweecountry.co.uk. Since there will be a match against the free state in May and these terms are generally used to refer to free state supporters, there is clearly a danger that such terms will be repeated at the game. Better to act proactively and ban for life anyone who can be identified as a racist. Like Ealing Green for example.

Members of this site have eg expressed support for, or approval of, the actions of the Dissidents - you know, the people who ended Peadar Heffron's Gaelic football-playing career.
Can we take it that you would also urge the GAA to "investigate" [sic] this site then, too?
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/8447829.stm

2. Discuss with the Amalgamation of NISC if it is really a good idea to have as a spokesperson an individual who has been involved in sectarian (i.e. anti-Catholic) protest in north Belfast.

That would be the same individual who posted this about the events at the AVIVA:
"I'm totally disgusted at the behaviour of the people in the footage" and that he was "Totally opposed to the behaviour shown in the Youtube footage". He also described them as "knobheads".
Strange how such a keen reader of that site as you, including the relevant thread, failed to notice those condemnations...

Personally, I don't think Mr Gage's actions warrant a sine die ban. Nor should hanging one muppet out to dry, be held up as proof of anything.

Hmmm. You don't believe that Gage should be banned sine die for expressing clearly sectarian sentiments, but people whom you deem to be expressing "racist" sentiments should. 

Anyhow, I for one believe that Gage should never be allowed to attend an NI game again in his life, as do the clear majority of posters on the owc website.

And more generally in reply to Maguire's question about what may be done, I fear that there is the possibility of  trouble at the ROI v NI game, against which the best precaution would be to restrict the sale of tickets to known/named supporters only.

However, ticket distribution for the tournament is solely the preserve of the FAI, who are already making unlimited amounts of tickets available to the general public via the internet, without any effort to ascertain identity etc.

P.S. I have it on good authority that "Ealing Green" was at the Scotland game in the AVIVA, as the personal guest of one of the ROI's best-known and most fervent supporters. However, he will not have seen or heard any of the abuse in the video, since he was in the Presidential Box of the FAI.

[Evil Genius]

Well, they 6-counties fans should get used to Aviva...it will be their national stadium sooner rather than later as plans are afoot to reunite the soccer federations.  And not about time.

Crikey! I knew the FAI was in deep financial s h i t, but I never thought it was so bad that they were reconsidering their breakaway from the IFA and seeking to rejoin us.

But in the event of the prodigals being accepted back into the fold, I daresay the IFA would consider playing some of the team's internationals in Dublin, as happened before the splitters defected.

Mind you, they'd probably first need the permission of the stadium's owner, the IRFU...

P.S. When I read Newbridge Exile's account of how Ramon Vega was abused by NI fans for being a Celtic player two years before he even played for the Celts (reply #60, above), it brought back memories of your claim as to how viciously another Celt, Anton Rogan, was abused at an NI game.
A game in which he didn't even play...   
You and NE wouldn't be related, by any chance?

[angermanagement]

http://m.guardian.co.uk/ms/p/gnm/op/szgDeHj5VQNFOI7nF8dg6uA/view.m?id=15&gid=football/david-conn-inside-sport-blog/2011/feb/23/belfast-celtic-ifa&cat=football

Article about Crusadors and Newington crossing the political divide.