FAI Muppet Show New Low

18th May 2010

Jesus wept

National red-top tabloid The Sun is using anti-French sentiment and Tony Cascarino to promote their World Cup coverage by giving away free 'Anyone But the French' t-shirts in reference to Thierry Henry's infamous handball.

Their campaign might appear a welcome respite from the "anyone but the English" sentiment that usually pervades Ireland but coming from a newspaper that uses trashy topless women as one of its trump cards to attract readers we can safely assume it is not motivated by a noble desire to change the national psyche.

Cascarino's thick London accent and his employer Rupert Murdoch are trying to exploit the Irish public's misconception of events in Paris back in November when despite the Irish players' absolution of Thierry Henry the FAI continued to embarrass the nation by appealing for a replay and a free ticket to the world cup as a 33rd team.

Remember what the Prophet Keane said: "If that was my team I wouldn't even mention the handball I'd just say 'why didn't someone put their head on it'. I'd be more annoyed with my defenders and my goalkeeper than Thierry Henry."

If Given, Dunne or particularly McShane had done their job properly Thierry Henry would never have got a chance to handle the ball in the first place. We're not going to the World Cup. Get over it.

Speaking of chancers and football, Corkonians can only smirk in conditioned sympathy as Limerick FC are knifed in the back by the FAI as they try to undo the Treaty City's intentions to bring Barcelona FC to Thomond Park.


Realising they had been out done by the West coast club the FAI Muppet Show have decided to not allow Limerick FC to host the Catalans and instead claim they were in the middle of negotiations themselves about a game in Dublin. Even Barcelona seem to refute the claim - they had a conversation about the possibility of a trip in 2011. Not a contract in sight.

The FAI bandwagon powers on

If the FAI pull the rug from under Limerick's feet they will be the first national football association in the world to refuse FC Barcelona permission to play in a country that the club visited.

Even newspapers that employ Tony Casscarino couldn't make this stuff up.

A few months ago John Delaney was vilifying Thierry Henry claiming a money-hungry FIFA were more than happy to see the French and their 62 million population go to South Africa instead of a team representing a mere 4 million people. Now, Delaney is citing financial reasons for doing the Limerick side out of a humble treat to the weary down trodden people of that city. Dublin must have the money so get out of our way please.

How about we offer a 'compromise' to Limerick and Dublin and bring Barcelona to Cork instead? Their desire for independence for the Catalan homeland would be given a far more sympathetic ear here in the Peoples Republic and if Dunmanway was good enough for Liverpool FC it's good enough for Barca.

Barrack Obama in 2003 when he was deputy treasurer of Dunmanway Town FC

Who wouldn't delight in seeing Lionel Messi leaning against the wall of the Greyhound Bar on a sunny day in August slurping down a delicious bowl of West Cork homemade soup or Zlatan Ibrahimovic strolling around The Square with a sneaky bag of chips being followed by a load of young fellas on bikes in Cork jerseys?

Plus, we could make huge welcome banners for Thierry Henry for no other reason than just to wind the FAI up.

Limerick, as usual, will be out of both All-Ireland championships by the end of July so who would begrudge the poor mites another sporting bandwagon to jump on to get them through what will inevitably be a summer of rain and misery on Shannon side?

That said, Dublin are rarely still in the championship themselves by the August weekend so perhaps the FAI who are based in that septic pit of tomfoolery themselves are desperately trying to fill what will be an inevitable sporting void around the east coast.