"Football Apartheid in Ireland"

"Football Apartheid in Ireland", Misrepresentation and Bogus Moralising: http://backpagefootball.com/international/%E2%80%9Cfootball-apartheid-in-ireland%E2%80%9D-misrepresentation-and-bogus-moralising/

This was a piece I decided to write in response to being accused of supporting the rather ridiculous concept of "football apartheid in Ireland" recently by Gary McAllister of the Amalgamation of Northern Ireland Supporters Clubs. I also try to clarify a few outstanding misunderstandings on the part of NI fans and expose the alleged reasons and logic behind their hysterical protests to be false and hypocritical.

Enjoy. :)

Good article alright

Read that last night dude. Great article. Big thumbs up from Franko.

Great article!...very interesting and great points made throughout

gspain wrote: Danny one point Eamon Zayed plays for Libya.

This is true, but the supposedly-sectarian/all-Catholic FAI were more than happy to facilitate him at under-21 level for us in spite of his Maghrebi heritage.

We've also lost Alex Bruce and Johnny Gorman btw.  Can't remember who poached them though.

 Don't worry; gave them a mention: "Who is to say that the FAI ever deemed Alex Bruce or Johnny Gorman surplus to requirements before the IFA entertained them, for example?"

I think the IFA have found themselves between a rock and a hard place. If they or their supporters fire off too much grief about the perceived poaching, they look bitter, which is already happening. They look bitter not because they are protesting but because along with the protests there will be some mustard laden statements along with an overblown sense of entitlement coming in from some quarters. You can get such things in rows like this.

To blame the FAI is ridiculous. They're just availing of the human resources that are there and declaring is a two way street because there must be a desire on the part of the player to declare. An association does not kidnap a player and apply the ludvico technique and I don't think in the case of the FAI that they're stepping in and playing a nationalist card either. A talented northern born player from a nationalist/catholic background would look at their options for success first before any feelings of affiliation and right now the greatest chance of personal success for them lies with the Republic even though they might have a damned time cracking the nut that is the ROI starting XI. They take that and they open a dialogue with the FAI. There is a sectarian/nationalistic element at play but it's very much secondary in this case. It's actually more manifest in the fact that you'll see precious few northern unionists lining out for the ROI rather than lack of catholics lining out for NI.

I can only say to the IFA and it's supporters, "Sorry lads, you'll just have to take the less talented catholic players for now. When MON takes you back to the promised land (4th place?) Maybe you'll see an upturn in declarations. You may be waiting a while."

Not that I care about what religion someone is but just wondering have we had any protestants playing for us?

Thats true Danny it doesn't make a difference down here or in England and most places.

Great article. Very well written.