Move by FAI & UEFA to remember Loughinisland victims ...

[balladmaker]

http://www.rte.ie/news/2012/0517/irish-soccer-team-to-honour-loughinisland-victims.html

[orangeman]

Cue Willie Frazer.

[From the Bunker]

http://www.rte.ie/news/2012/0517/irish-soccer-team-to-honour-loughinisland-victims.html

Well done to the FAI (and UEFA), brilliant gesture, remarkable coincidence in dates and opposition!

Ar dheis Dé go raibh a anam

[haranguerer]

Absolutely fantastic - will mean an awful lot to the families. Fair play.

[Leo]

As someone who knew some of the victims of this sectarian atrocity and felt the pain of the occasion (and others), I think this is a mis-judgement.
When OWC roll out a similar gesture however well intentioned for Teebane, Kingsmills or Warrenpoint, will we have such a benign view?
Precedents do not reconciliation make.

[magpie seanie]

Its not the same. Were the victims out watching OWC the finals of a major tournament when those killings occurred? There is no link with the events you mentioned and the OWC soccer team.

[Leo]

Nothing is ever the same - except death.

[Fear ón Srath Bán]

Great gesture, fair dues FAI (and all involved).

[dillinger]

I think it's a nice touch.

[nifan]

Given the fact that the date coincides with it and they where watching ROI vs Italy I think its a perfectly fine and respectful thing to do.

When OWC roll out a similar gesture however well intentioned for Teebane, Kingsmills or Warrenpoint, will we have such a benign view?

Id say most people would surely - theres always a few who like to get a bit overly worked up about such things of course.

[MW]

Given the fact that the date coincides with it and they where watching ROI vs Italy I think its a perfectly fine and respectful thing to do

I completely agree.

[orangeman]

Criticism of the move from strange sources -


EAMON Dunphy and John Giles yesterday criticised the decision to have the Ireland team wear black armbands during the match against Italy at Euro 2012 on June 18.

The FAI confirmed yesterday that Ireland will make the symbolic gesture to commemorate the victims of a loyalist massacre in a Co Down village on the 18th anniversary of the atrocity.

The armbands will be worn in memory of the victims of the Loughinisland shooting on June 18, in 1994.

Six Catholic men were killed by UVF gunmen as Ireland played Italy at the World Cup in the US.

The families contacted the FAI about marking the anniversary and they in turn requested permission from the tournament's governing authority UEFA for the commemoration.

UEFA gave the go-ahead, but both of RTE's leading football pundits said yesterday that such overtly political issues should not have a place in football.

Mr Dunphy said it was "getting into dangerous territory".

"My own view would be no, I don't think it is particularly appropriate," he told the Irish Independent.

"I think reopening the wounds of a fresh conflict is probably not the wisest thing to do.

"I would say don't go there, you're into dangerous territory. And for footballers and sports people in general, they wouldn't always have the political antennae, should we say."

He added that there were other nations involved in the tournament -- including Croatia and Russia -- with "dark histories".

"We would want to be very careful about dragging politics into sport," he said.

Mr Dunphy pointed out that he wore an armband himself to commemorate Bloody Sunday in Derry while playing for London club Millwall in 1972.

"I wore a black armband the Saturday after Bloody Sunday playing for Millwall, which was a gesture which all the other Irish players refused to join me in," he said.

"It was a personal thing, to show English people who knew nothing about why they were even in Ireland, that this had happened. But I would be very careful about that kind of stuff."


Speaking during RTE's launch of the Euro 2012 coverage in Dublin yesterday, Mr Giles also expressed concern about the move.

"I would prefer to see it kept out of it," Mr Giles said in relation to the politicisation of tournaments.

"I can understand some of the sentiments (surrounding) any atrocity.

"I don't know whose decision it was but I wouldn't be in favour of it." However, FAI chief executive John Delaney said yesterday that the black armbands were an opportunity to "remember all those who lost their lives in the Troubles".

Niall Murphy, the solicitor acting on behalf of the victims' families, thanked the FAI and UEFA for the decision.

"The families are touched that this tragic event can be commemorated on such a poignant day," he said.

Nobody has ever been convicted of the massacre in which two men walked into the rural pub and opened fire.

Adrian Rogan (34); Malcolm Jenkinson (53); Barney Greene (87); Daniel McCreanor (59); Patrick O'Hare (35); and Eamon Byrne (39) were all killed.

In 1997, the Irish team controversially wore black armbands before a World Cup qualifier away in Iceland to mark the passing of Diana, Princess of Wales, a week earlier.

[deiseach]

Dunphy's comments are measured and thoughtful. Giles' comments have the whiff of the old sport-and-politics-don't-mix mantra beloved of all those who yearned to play in apartheid South Africa

[Nally Stand]

Most people agree that it is a positive gesture. No surprises therefor that Dunphy thinks it's a bad idea. The man would run to the papers to claim black was white if he thought he was being controversial.

I see an Belfast Tele article online about this story:
http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/opinion/columnists/how-i-broke-the-news-of-loughinisland-massacre-to-irish-world-cup-squad-16160472.html

All in all, a surprising but hugely positive move by the FAI.

Allegations surrounding the case include that at least one of the weapons used that night was imported from South Africa by a British agent (Brian Nelson), that four RUC agents were involved in organising the attack. The RUC destroyed the getaway car in 1996 and numerous other pieces of evidence were also destroyed. It is alleged that the car was first supplied for the attack by an RUC agent. The car contained balaclavas, gloves, boiler suits, a bag which the guns were contained in, and even a hair folicle, yet it is alleged that none of those were subjected to modern forensic tests. One woman complained that after reporting to the RUC that she seen the getaway car and gave a description, the report was not acted upon. So hopefully this weeks news will keep the spotlight on this attack and the families campaign for the truth in regards state collusion.

[AQMP]

Dunphy's comments are measured and thoughtful. Giles' comments have the whiff of the old sport-and-politics-don't-mix mantra beloved of all those who yearned to play in apartheid South Africa

I agree with deiseach. Dunphy makes a valid point and gives sound reasons to back up his view, whether you agree with him or not.  OK, Dunph is a bit of a professional polemicist and pantomime villain but he does give serious issues thought.  Giles comes out with the tired and outdated "All footballers want to do is play football"