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| FAI chief John Delaney apologises for singing pro-Republican ballad | |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| The Football Association of Ireland chief executive, John Delaney, has apologised after singing a pro-Republican song on a night out in Dublin, just hours after denying outright through the FAI’s legal representatives that footage of the incident posted on YouTube was him. | |
| Delaney was filmed singing Joe McDonnell by the Wolfe Tones, a ballad about a member of the Provisional IRA who died in the 1981 hunger strike during the Troubles. The ballad is popular in Sinn Fein and Republican circles and is considered one of the more outwardly sympathetic to the modern Provisional movement. | |
| Delaney sang the ballad on the same night the FA was forced to apologise for the behaviour of England fans in singing “Fuck the IRA” repeatedly during the friendly against Scotland at Celtic Park. | Delaney sang the ballad on the same night the FA was forced to apologise for the behaviour of England fans in singing “Fuck the IRA” repeatedly during the friendly against Scotland at Celtic Park. |
| The footage is the latest in a series of controversial incidents involving Delaney and likely to cause embarrassment leading up to June’s significant fixture between England and the Republic in Dublin, the first time the nations have met in Ireland since their 1995 friendly at Lansdowne Road was abandoned because of violence by English fans. | |
| The FAI’s lawyers had been instructed on Monday evening to deny the footage showed Delaney singing. A senior partner at Debello Law told the Guardian: “My client’s position is simply that it is not him singing in the video. If you take the decision to publish legal proceedings will follow as it will undoubtedly cause various issues for my client.” | |
| The video was recorded in the Bath pub near the Aviva Stadium in Dublin last Tuesday, following the Republic of Ireland’s 4-1 friendly victory over the USA. | The video was recorded in the Bath pub near the Aviva Stadium in Dublin last Tuesday, following the Republic of Ireland’s 4-1 friendly victory over the USA. |
| On Tuesday morning Delaney, who this year signed a contract extension with the FAI that runs until 2019, apologised for any offence caused and criticised the “sly” way the film was recorded. | On Tuesday morning Delaney, who this year signed a contract extension with the FAI that runs until 2019, apologised for any offence caused and criticised the “sly” way the film was recorded. |
| He told 2FM radio: “Joe McDonnell was a song that [was] sang in my presence and I chipped in with on a number of occasions in the past,” he said. “I’m not someone who supports violence at all. In fact over a large number of years I have been working closely with cross-border initiatives in football to break down barriers. | He told 2FM radio: “Joe McDonnell was a song that [was] sang in my presence and I chipped in with on a number of occasions in the past,” he said. “I’m not someone who supports violence at all. In fact over a large number of years I have been working closely with cross-border initiatives in football to break down barriers. |
| “I’m not a violent person. My grandfather fought in the civil war and he also fought in the war of independence. I have always said I have a nationalist background. When you sing a song like that you don’t believe in every word that is in the song. | |
| “I sing a large number of songs and it’s normally done in a private way when there is a sing-song. It’s a typically Irish thing we do, we sing songs amongst a group and you expect that to be kept within the group. | “I sing a large number of songs and it’s normally done in a private way when there is a sing-song. It’s a typically Irish thing we do, we sing songs amongst a group and you expect that to be kept within the group. |
| “Unfortunately on occasions people use camera phones in a sly way when they are not in your company and then they try to make something bigger out of it. If the song offends anyone of course I’m sorry, it’s not in my nature to want to offend people.” | “Unfortunately on occasions people use camera phones in a sly way when they are not in your company and then they try to make something bigger out of it. If the song offends anyone of course I’m sorry, it’s not in my nature to want to offend people.” |
| Anti-IRA songs were chanted by a section of England supporters during last week’s friendly in Glasgow, although the England band denied being aware that they had provided background music for the chants. | Anti-IRA songs were chanted by a section of England supporters during last week’s friendly in Glasgow, although the England band denied being aware that they had provided background music for the chants. |
| The Republic of Ireland supporters group You Boys in Green recently accused the FAI of manhandling and intimidating fans as they protested against the association and called for Delaney’s removal during the friendly against the USA. | |
| One banner at the match in Dublin read “Delaney: godfather of greed”, while “Delaney out” could be heard from the stands as supporters protested against the perceived unfair distribution of tickets. |