Irish soccer belongs to us all
Roy Keane missed the point. The Irish support in Poland recently has won us admirers from all over Europe. Our fans’ determination to remain in good humour and in good voice, regardless of sporting disappointments, is a creditable disposition, not a failing. So impressed where the Italian side that defeated Ireland last Monday with the noise that rocked the stadium in Poznan that some of their players crossed the pitch to applaud the Irish fans for the atmosphere they brought to the occasion.
That is not, however, to ignore a troubling aspect to the behaviour of some fans that deserves commentary. The vast majority of the travelling Irish support in Gdansk and Poznan showed the best of what our country has to offer: cheerful, engaging, charming, respectful and displaying resilience in the face of adversity. That’s why any contradiction to that reality is so stark and deserves attention to ensure it doesn’t grow out of control.
Our national sporting sides proudly represent us all over the world and fly our national flag with honour wherever they go. The tricolour deserves better than to have the slogan ‘Pints, Tits, Ireland’ scrawled across it and hung proudly and prominently in a bar as fans gathered before the Spanish encounter in Gdansk. If that slogan was written across another national flag in the past, we might have winced to ourselves and used it as an example as how we Irish are different. But unfortunately, some of us now think it’s simply good fun to encourage a highly embarrassed Italian girl to ‘get them out for the lads’ in a tram in Poznan.
It is also disappointing on Twitter a senior international player describe as a “legend” the Irish supporter pictured kissing the naked breast of a female Croatian fan during the opening fixture of our Euro 2012 campaign.
This lack of leadership in high places was evident much earlier in the qualifying campaign in October 2010, when the priority of the FAI’s chief executive was to buy a trainload of Irish fans a round of drinks when travelling to the Ireland-Slovakia game in Zilina. The priority for others on that occasion was to gesture apologetically to a policeman as he observed one drunken Irish fan stagger from one side of the street to another while vomiting on himself.
Irish soccer belongs as much to the 16-year-old female fan, as it does to the ex-international with over 100 caps. It belongs to our most recent immigrants as it does to our die-hard League of Ireland supporters. The FAI have served diversity well with programmes such as Soccer Sisters, Show Racism the Red Card, Football for All and the advent of community officers linked with local authorities. It is this leadership that can mould behaviour and shape good practice. The sight of Olivia O’Toole, a true international soccer legend, carrying the Olympic Torch through her native Sheriff Street while cheered on by local schoolchildren illustrates the true potential for good that only sport provides.
The political sphere is working hard with the community and voluntary sector to break the cultural link between alcohol and sport, to foster an appreciation of the value of participation, and to break social, national and racial stereotypes. Leadership must follow from the highest office holders in the FAI, our international players and our public service broadcaster to truly show what sport and particularly soccer can achieve.
The chorus of ‘The Fields of Athenry’ in Gdansk after the 4-0 defeat by Spain was the highlight of the trip for many, and showed the entire tournament what a proud people we are. We owe it to ourselves to build a game for all, to be enjoyed by all, and to lead by example.
Aodhán Ó Ríordáin is Labour TD for Dublin North-Central.
