TD applauds Linfield's armbands gesture

[Ringo]

TD applauds Linfield's armbands gesture

Wednesday April 6th 2005


THE decision by Northern Ireland's most loyalist football club to wear black armbands in memory of Pope John Paul II was applauded yesterday as an "extremely symbolic gesture".

Linfield FC play in blue, white and red and the club is based in a working-class Protestant area of south Belfast. But its players wore black armbands in Monday night's cross-border Setanta Cup defeat against Longford Town at Flancare Park, home of the midlanders.

Local Fianna Fail TD Peter Kelly said the club had thrown precedent aside and made what could be viewed as an extremely symbolic gesture.

Pointing to the club's background, the TD said that in the past Linfield had an unofficial policy of not signing Catholic players.

"The game, Linfield's first competitive appearance south of the border in more than 20 years, passed off peacefully with both sides wearing black armbands," Mr Kelly said.

He claimed the game augured well for the future.

"If the Republic and North's soccer leagues were united it would prove a good step towards eventual lasting peace in Ireland," he added.

Fionnan Sheahan



© Irish Independent
http://www.unison.ie/irish_independent/ & http://www.unison.ie/

[Macy]

Like he'd know anything about football on this island by standing by the entrance a couple of games a season....

[pete]

"If the Republic and North's soccer leagues were united it would prove a good step towards eventual lasting peace in Ireland," he added.

No mention of league football just national team bandwagon stuff.

[dcfcsteve]

Ahhh - don't be too harsh on him guys.

It's good to see some official recognition going to Linfield for wearing their black armbands. The local TD is an appropriate person to do that.

The fact that a Linfield team with 5 Catholics playing wore a black armband in memory of a recently deceased Pope - without a murmour of protest form their fans - is a sign of the progress that has been made in the North over the last decade.

I'd genuinely hope/expect by the time that the next one dies we should be able to get a minute's silence out of their fans as well....

[Snoop Drog]

Would Longford have worn black armbands if The Quenn (Head of CofE) had died before the game?

Doubt it. Fair play to Linfield.

[Maz]

Like he'd know anything about football on this island by standing by the entrance a couple of games a season....

or standing on the lorry to meet and greet the players when they win something!!

[ShelsTim]

Would Longford have worn black armbands if The Quenn (Head of CofE) had died before the game?

Doubt it. Fair play to Linfield.

Of course they would, especially if they were playing Linfield at the time, sure didn't we lower the flag when the Queen Mother died?

I think the Linfield fellas think we care about the Pope more than we actually do, but still, a nice gesture.

[ccfcgirl]

Nice gesture

[liam88]

I think the Linfield fellas think we care about the Pope more than we actually do, but still, a nice gesture.

Speak for yourself-a lot of us are still devestated and feel a huge hole has been left in our lives
Fiar play on the armbands.Nout wrong with respect for the Queen but is important to differentiate between the man who risked his life saving Jewish people from the Nazis, nearly gave his life freeing his homeland and many other from communism, championed the cmpaign to drop the 3rd world debt and built bridges between many faiths to the woman who was born into a life of luxury and has never really risked her life for anyone.

The Pope praye din Canturbury Cathedral alongside the Archbishop, the Queen refuses to ever visit the Republic fo Ireland.

Respect her has a head of state and probably a good woman but you can't compare her to the Pope.

Again fair uice ont he armband.

[Snoop Drog]

Believe me, liam88, I am no fan of Mrs Windsor but it would not be beyond the realms of reasonableness that, if she died, Linfield would wear black armbands (as the head of their State and as the head of the Church of England). I doubt if this gesture would be reciprocated by Longford, or perhaps by any Irish team for that matter.

[Gerrit]

Speak for yourself-a lot of us are still devestated and feel a huge hole has been left in our lives
Fiar play on the armbands.Nout wrong with respect for the Queen but is important to differentiate between the man who risked his life saving Jewish people from the Nazis, nearly gave his life freeing his homeland and many other from communism, championed the cmpaign to drop the 3rd world debt and built bridges between many faiths to the woman who was born into a life of luxury and has never really risked her life for anyone.

The Pope praye din Canturbury Cathedral alongside the Archbishop, the Queen refuses to ever visit the Republic fo Ireland.

Respect her has a head of state and probably a good woman but you can't compare her to the Pope.

Again fair uice ont he armband.

I don't want to turn this into a political/religious discussion but I just have to add a little comment to your post.

We are also talking about the man who encouraged thousands of Africans to have unsafe sex (with lots of AIDS victims as result) and a man who opposed things like abortion, euthanasia and gay marriage. Now those last things may be fair play if you're deeply religious, but I can only say forbiding the condom even if you know the consequences was stupid.
With all the respect for the things the man achieved.

Great act of respect from Linfield.

Sidenote, I am atheist but did respect the minute of silence for the Pope yesterday before Derry-Shelbourne. A bit of respect for the ones in the stadium that do care about the Papal function, and because after all a person died, which is always sad. So I'd say if a Republican team plays a team from the North shortly after the Queen's death, it would be a nice and even normal gesture to wear black armbands.

[jofyisgod]

I don't want to turn this into a political/religious discussion but I just have to add a little comment to your post.

We are also talking about the man who encouraged thousands of Africans to have unsafe sex (with lots of AIDS victims as result) and a man who opposed things like abortion, euthanasia and gay marriage. Now those last things may be fair play if you're deeply religious, but I can only say forbiding the condom even if you know the consequences was stupid.
With all the respect for the things the man achieved.

Just thinking the same. This Pope was way too conservative, killed more than he saved, and should have had the sense to resign earlier, although that was his choice to make, in fairness.Tbh, not a big fan of organised religion anyway-just another brainwashing machine for the masses.
He also opposed many reforms which would have allowed women a more even playing field in regard to men also.

[colblimp]

I couldn't care less about the Pope, to be perfectly honest. But I stood, quietly, on Friday at Turners Cross and observed the minutes silence. I did it to show respect to those people who did care about the Pope. It's only right.