Time for the GAA and schools to admit they are ashamed of their past.

[geysir]

Another myth, the FAI were never fined, sanctioned or warned for the unacceptable behaviour of some for booing players at the Georgia game or any other game for that matter

That makes more sense, So do you have any other myth's to burst?

[Superhoops]

Another myth, the FAI were never fined, sanctioned or warned for the unacceptable behaviour of some for booing players at the Georgia game or any other game for that matter

Apologies, you're right, they were not fined, but they were subject of an investigation by UEFA into the booing of Shota Arveladze and the FAI were asked to respond, the outcome of which was that Fran Rooney appealed to fans stop racist booing because of the fear of sanctions being imposed by UEFA. It would not be unreasonable to conclude from Rooney's very public plea that the FAI had their card marked by UEFA, unless of course, it was another of Rooney's publicity stunts.

[geysir]

Apologies, you're right, they were not fined, but they were subject of an investigation by UEFA into the booing of Shota Arveladze and the FAI were asked to respond, the outcome of which was that Fran Rooney appealed to fans stop racist booing because of the fear of sanctions being imposed by UEFA. It would not be unreasonable to conclude from Rooney's very public plea that the FAI had their card marked by UEFA, unless of course, it was another of Rooney's publicity stunts.

Primitive yes and there is no place for it, but I don't think it quite fits the bill as being racist or even sectarian. Imo its not dissimilar to the bizzare booing of Stam in the Holland game 2001. Because he was transferred out of Man U? I can't get my head around that one.

[Superhoops]

Primitive yes and there is no place for it, but I don't think it quite fits the bill as being racist or even sectarian. Imo its not dissimilar to the bizzare booing of Stam in the Holland game 2001. Because he was transferred out of Man U? I can't get my head around that one.

Fran Rooney used the words racist and sectarian, not me!

BTW, here is how the BBC reported it:
The Football Association of Ireland has been warned that sectarian booing at international matches in Dublin must stop. The warning follows an investigation by Uefa into the persistent booing of a Rangers player during the Republic's match against Georgia at Lansdowne Road in June.

Striker Shota Arveladze was targeted by sections of the home crowd because of his links to the traditionally Protestant Scottish club.
Republic of Ireland supporters traditionally support Rangers' fierce rivals Celtic.

The Football Association of Ireland said the booing had to stop if Irish football fans were to keep their reputation for good behaviour throughout the world.
"The bottom line is that the reputation of the Irish fans is tarnished," said FAI chief executive Fran Rooney at a media conference on Wednesday.

"We have got the best fans in the world but if this continues, it will disappear. It seems to start with a small group of people and then build from there".

"From correspondence I have received, I can see that some people did not know why they are booing and thought it was just fun because the player had a few bad touches and the booing was putting him off.

"But I have also received letters from people in the North of Ireland who are Protestant who were personally abused for asking people to stop booing. We have got a situation that is racist but also bigoted and sectarian."
A complaint by a spectator about the booing of Arveladze was made to Uefa following Ireland's 2-0 victory over Georgia in June.

"I personally rang Shota Arveladze after the incident to apologise," he said.

"The Georgian FA wrote a letter to Uefa saying they were happy with what we did and Uefa have said they will take no further action. But they have taken the matter seriously."

[gspain]

Liam Brady was expelled from school in disgrace. His crime was to captain the Irish schoolboy football team v Wales.

[Macy]

Weren't GAA figures recently involved in warning off Bohs from their schools promotion too?

[Thunderblaster]

Liam Brady was expelled from school in disgrace. His crime was to captain the Irish schoolboy football team v Wales.

And I hope that the Brother Superior who expelled him is seeking redemption and forgivness for that terrible sin that was against the doctrine of the Catholic Church.

[Thunderblaster]

Weren't GAA figures recently involved in warning off Bohs from their schools promotion too?

Very underhand behaviour if it's true. The Mafia would engage in that carry on.

[gspain]

My old school was a GAA school but thankfully apart from a couple of nutters who left after first year it was fine.

School had a top class football team before my time, won a few All Ireland schools cup and even went to represent Ireland in the schools world cup finishing 7th which was the death knell of the team as the hurlers were being hammered every year in the first round of the Harty Cup. The head brothers in Cork decreed no more foreign games and the team was disbanded.

In my first year a planned half day coincided with an Irish International live on tv that afternoon. An hour before we were due to go home somebody mentioned to the head brother what they were doing for the afternoon and he blew a gasket, cancelled the half day and as he couldn't stop the teachers from taking it had to gather all the school together, in the hall and let us do homework in case we'd see a foreign game on tv and be corrupted.

The worst excesses in the ban years and probably the 10 years or so afterwards were not in schools at all but in small local communities in rural Ireland in particular. The term "broken glass spreaders" for the GAA was coined thanks to the intimidation on local people trying to start up a football club. AFAIK Tralee Dynamos are the only club to ever have gone public on this. There were many others. I know of one case where a friend of mine suffered huge intimidation trying to start a schoolboy club

[Macy]

Very underhand behaviour if it's true. The Mafia would engage in that carry on.

Yeah, didn't one of the Bohs fans say that a certain fatboy was told how it's strange how "injuries" can happen....

[Thunderblaster]

Yeah, didn't one of the Bohs fans say that a certain fatboy was told how it's strange how "injuries" can happen....

Can you enlighten me more on that incident?

[monutdfc]

I see Dessie Rogers - father of Drog's 'keeper Gary - had to step down as physio of the Meath gaelic football team thanks to the attitude of some relic of a county board chairman. (Not that you'd know why if you were relying on RTE's reporting of the situation, which only referred to Rogers "receiving a lengthy ban after an alleged incident with the county board chairman").

[For those who haven't heard the story, Gary Rogers was playing on the Meath junior football team a couple of years ago (while he was also playing for Drogheda United). The Chairman of the Meath County Board had himself made kitman for a game (a semi-final I think) so that he could refuse to give Gary Rogers a jersey before the game - on the basis that he wasn't playing for a club at the time and needed to be to be eligible to play for the county junior team (sounds like a made-up rule to me). Cue some arguing and denials, but the reality is that the chairman did what he did because he is a soccer-hating bigot.]

[hamish]

I see Dessie Rogers - father of Drog's 'keeper Gary - had to step down as physio of the Meath gaelic football team thanks to the attitude of some relic of a county board chairman. (Not that you'd know why if you were relying on RTE's reporting of the situation, which only referred to Rogers "receiving a lengthy ban after an alleged incident with the county board chairman").

[For those who haven't heard the story, Gary Rogers was playing on the Meath junior football team a couple of years ago (while he was also playing for Drogheda United). The Chairman of the Meath County Board had himself made kitman for a game (a semi-final I think) so that he could refuse to give Gary Rogers a jersey before the game - on the basis that he wasn't playing for a club at the time and needed to be to be eligible to play for the county junior team (sounds like a made-up rule to me). Cue some arguing and denials, but the reality is that the chairman did what he did because he is a soccer-hating bigot.]

When I was involved in the Meath Primary schools scene, oh, up to about 6 years ago, Martin Barry used to help organise the competitions there and TBH he was a very helpful bloke but a little exciteable LOL. Meath GAH team will certainly get a hard worker if he's involved.
Don't think there's as much aggravation as there used to be TBH.
When we started under age footie here in Beellow we used to play on the Fair Green just beside Duggan Park county Gah grounds. Jesus, all the times we had cars parked "accidently" in the goalmouth and centre circle and broken bottles tossed about the place......
But that was in the late 60s.
Surely things cant be remotely as bad now????

[gspain]

Amazing how the papers are skirting around the Gary Rogers affair. The Meath chairman did not want him playing for Meath because he was playing professional football for Drogheda. I assume the football was the problem not the professional bit. The team manager and selectors had the strange notion that they were picking the team based on merit and not the county board. They ended up with 1 and 2 year bans effectively. Ginnity had tried to take the jersey from Gary Rogers by force and fists flew.

The same gentleman - Ginnity is still in charge in Meath GAA circles and eventhough the bans have been served they are persona non grata in Meath GAA circles. Picking sockUR players my God what has the world come to. The new Meath GAA manager who wasn't involved in the incident wanted to include both men in his management team and he looks like he is heading for the chop now because of it.

[gspain]

When I was involved in the Meath Primary schools scene, oh, up to about 6 years ago, Martin Barry used to help organise the competitions there and TBH he was a very helpful bloke but a little exciteable LOL. Meath GAH team will certainly get a hard worker if he's involved.
Don't think there's as much aggravation as there used to be TBH.
When we started under age footie here in Beellow we used to play on the Fair Green just beside Duggan Park county Gah grounds. Jesus, all the times we had cars parked "accidently" in the goalmouth and centre circle and broken bottles tossed about the place......
But that was in the late 60s.
Surely things cant be remotely as bad now????

Hamish, haven't heard of any since the early 80's in Kerry and Clare. Used to be fairly commonplace in rural Ireland. Could tell some horror stories from Limerick too. Different times nowadays but a few diehards still remain.

I believe many GAA clubs now even have Sky Sports and show games on tv in their clubhouses. However a colleague was relating a story from a club in rural Ireland recently. The clubhouse bar had RTE1 on and some young bucko wanted to switch over to a champions league game on RTE2. Widespread panic ensued. Her father got called up from home along with other club officers and a motion was passed to ensure that no football (they probably called it sockUR) was to be shown in the club. The mind boggles.

[hamish]

However a colleague was relating a story from a club in rural Ireland recently. The clubhouse bar had RTE1 on and some young bucko wanted to switch over to a champions league game on RTE2. Widespread panic ensued. Her father got called up from home along with other club officers and a motion was passed to ensure that no football (they probably called it sockUR) was to be shown in the club. The mind boggles.

Unbelievable story and very sad Ger. Maybe Creationism is a valid theory and (Gah) dinosaurs are still amongst us.

[Thunderblaster]

Then the Meath county board chairman should step aside, the little, soccer-hating muppet and move back to the time of the goths or barbarians. The club that went into a tizzy over a soccer game, I would have wrapped the TV around their necks. Surely, bigots would not accidentally park their car in the middle of a football pitch and litter it with broken glass. That is NOT being the fabric of the community, the pride of the parish; that is intimidation and thuggery.

[gspain]

Then the Meath county board chairman should step aside, the little, soccer-hating muppet and move back to the time of the goths or barbarians. The club that went into a tizzy over a soccer game, I would have wrapped the TV around their necks. Surely, bigots would not accidentally park their car in the middle of a football pitch and litter it with broken glass. That is NOT being the fabric of the community, the pride of the parish; that is intimidation and thuggery.

The manager managed to keep his job last night but had to dump his backroom team who had picked Gary Rogers for a Meath game eventhough they knew he was playing football for Drogheda United.

Amazing how the media aroubnd the real issue here for fear of upsetting the GAA.

[Thunderblaster]

The manager managed to keep his job last night but had to dump his backroom team who had picked Gary Rogers for a Meath game eventhough they knew he was playing football for Drogheda United.

Amazing how the media aroubnd the real issue here for fear of upsetting the GAA.

Well, it is time for the media to grow up and take on these faceless, powerful thugs that think that they are holier than thou.

[monutdfc]

Ginnity was deposed as Meath county board chariman last night, replaced by Noel Dempsey's brother.
I saw Eugene McGee give some of the background behind the row on Setanta Sports last week.