An interesting read. Don't really remember it but I should:
http://www.ireland-mad.co.uk/news/lo...EDB3&id=435795
Forget about the performance or entertainment. It's only the result that matters.
I knew that match and the early seventies game versus Russia (Soviet Union) were games where fans were requested not to attend as there was "Communists in the team."Originally Posted by OwlsFan
The equivilent in recent times is the Cabinet refusing to attend the qualifier against Yugoslavia at Lansdowne in 2001 (?).
" I'll go right up to here,
it can't possibly hurt.
All they will find is my
beer and my shirt."
I remember attending the game against the Soviet Union back in the 1970s but I don't remember any campaign by the clergy not to attend but I was young enough for it all to go over my head in any event. Just avoiding getting crushed to death at Dalymount was the main concern. "Mind the child"
Forget about the performance or entertainment. It's only the result that matters.
"Indeed they were also Bovril's biggest customer in Ireland after introducing the famous half time drink!"
I had to laugh at that bit. The bovril actually was drinkable. At the back of the covered terrace there was a stall which served a decent hot cup full, a life saver on a cold day. That would have been regarded as a business class service for the plebs.
There was no fuss over godless commie teams coming in the 60´s and the 70´s
There were plenty of games against Czechoslovakia and Poland in Dublin.
Yes that's right.
Playing Catholic Poland helped reduce the risk of any outbursts. As the individual players would have been downtrodden. In preparing for the invariable competitive games in a qualifying group against the East European opponents we would play annual games against Poland. There was a preception that teams in Eastern Europe all played the same way.
Our first competitive game against Poland was for Euro'92 qualifying, after some twenty friendlies.
" I'll go right up to here,
it can't possibly hurt.
All they will find is my
beer and my shirt."
Actually 22,000 was way down on attendances at the time - 34,000 v Norway 54, 35,000 v Spain 55, 32,600 v Denmark 56, 35,000 v West Germany 56.
The archbishop did certainly have an effect. The legion of Mary also picketed the game. Joe Wickham was denounced from the pulpit the following sunday. The Army band were withdrawn from their usual prematch set.
It did rain heavily in Dublin that day which may have also affected the attendance or maybe God took his revenge on those who went in to see the football.
Yugosalvia also played Italy in Turin a few months earlier yet I can find no record of any calls for a boycott. If there were calls they didn't work as 70,000 attended.
I'm not aware of any protests over the USSR game in 74.
What the f**k like, this is (and was) meant to be a secular country! Religious issues should have no impact whatsoever on the actions of the Army.
#NeverStopNotGivingUp
The President of the FAI throughout that period was the legendary IRA Dublin Brigade commander, Oscar Traynor.
De Valera use to attend the Ireland internationals at Dalymount including that game against Yugoslavia.
When both teams lined up for the anthems, Dev made sure he was down on the pitch shaking hands with every player.
At least that is what I recall from an old photo or film.
My mistake, it was Oscar himself on the pitch shaking hands with the commies. Dev supported the Archbishops stance.
Last edited by geysir; 06/03/2009 at 10:47 AM.
Only ever read this from Daire Whelan's book. Was there just one protestor outside Dalymount on the day?. There was also a bit of a handling with raising the Yugoslav flag and then on taking it down at the end.
I remember a match against Chile in the 70s that our players boycotted (incl. a certain E. Dunphy) because of executions in the stadium after the coup d'etat.
"Football is a game you play with your brain".
It was a "Could the Rep. of Irl really have qualified for the '74 World Cup if they had actually played Chile" invitation.
In the '74 qualifiers RoI finished second in a three team group behind Russia/Soviet Union/CCCP. The winners were drawn in a play-off versus Chile. Soviet Union won the first leg at home and the second leg was due to be played in the Estadio National in Santiago.
This Stadium was used as a detention centre and a place of execution during the first years of General Pinochet's regime from 1972 after his illegal overthrow of President Allende at the request of AT&T (see movie "Missing" with Jack Lemmon for further info).
The Soviets were a little reluctant to travel, FIFA didn't offer the runners-up a chance. I've seen footage of the Chilean team kicking off and passing the ball into an empty net and the ref. blowing for a goal. I don't know if the match was awarded 3-0 to Chile or not, but SU were thrown out and Chile played West Germany in 1974.
The Chile game was part of a South American tour I dont know if the Irish players mentioned played in other games during that tour.
" I'll go right up to here,
it can't possibly hurt.
All they will find is my
beer and my shirt."
I was at the Russia match and no protests took place. It is hard to explain what the atmosphere was like that day to younger fans. Fans climbed over the walls to get in so the official attendance means nothing. The noise was unbelievable. Getting out of the ground was scary stuff. Massive crush.
It was in 1974 - we won 2-1 with goals from Eoin Hand and Jimmy Conway. We also played Brazil and Uruguay on the tour.
Dunphy played in the Chile game.
http://www.independent.ie/opinion/an...nce-99945.html
Of football and politics The woebegone performance of the Republic's soccer team at Lansdowne Road this week cast minds back 22 years, to their turnout in Chile back in May 1974.
A yellowing newspaper clipping in a file at the Department of Foreign Affairs records Eamon Dunphy's dilemma at togging out in Santiago.
It was the first time a match had been played at the Chilean National Stadium where thousands of prisoners had been held and tortured and subsequently "disappeared" after the bloody military coup the year before.
Dunphy had strong reservations about going and had turned down big money to appear in apartheid South Africa. He reflected, back in 1974, that the Chilean issue was vastly different from South Africa.
"The stadium was freshly painted for our visit so all traces of blood and torture were destroyed," said Dunphy. "But by going to Chile I certainly wasn't supporting the regime. I was playing football."
The report was in the newly launched Sunday World and the reporter was one Sam Smyth.
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