Originally Posted by dcfcsteve
Big P,
Falling victim to hearsay again with RegGav's note, I'm afraid.
Firstly - there is no 'official FAI supporters club' , nor do they have T-Shirts. That's a fact, and was eventually pointed out to RedGav. The people that he was referring to when he wrote that appear to have been members of the London Supporters Club (which has it's own T-shirts). The London club is recognised by the FAI, but independent and by no means 'official' with them.
Secondly - I was with the groups of Israeli fans who were "attacked" at that very moment. We were walking up with them from Temple Bar to the ground. When we got to a pub near the ground a few ********s (who we were reliably informed afterwards are well-known Rovers casuals and general trouble-makers) started shouting pro-PLO abuse etc at them. The contents of a beer glass got thrown in their direction, and their behaviour was very aggressive. One of the lads we were with (a Dub Pats fan) had a go at them, which nearly resulted in a fight - ironically between Irish fans. The Israeli group were long-gone by that stage, as they moved on as soon as they heard the small group mouthing off.
But sure, Red Gav says it was up there with the Twelve Days war, so let's all believe him...... . Again - very unusual behaviour from Irish fans, though sadly not unexpected given the political angle to that fixture. This is not about ignoring any supposed hardcore element to our fans - Ireland supporters have an exemplary reputation for a reason. It was grossly unfair of The Jolly Rodger to lable all NI fans as scum, but in the same breath your fans sadly do not have the same positive reputation that the Republic's fans do. Primarily for their chanting/attitude towards certain opposition teams and towards Catholics over the years, rather than for any violence on their part. Times fortunately appeared to have moved-on in Windsor Park for internationals, but such incidents weren't all that long ago and can't simply be forgotten.