Blog Archive - Lies, Damm Lies, And IFA Press Releases

[blues six glens nil]

JULY/AUGUST 2007

A few weeks back, I congratulated Raymond Kennedy on his appointment as IFA president but warned of potential sneakiness and dirty tricks by the IFA in order to get a move to The Maze.

This is one occasion where I am not happy to be proved right.

The letter sent out this week by the IFA looking to terminate the contract to play internationals at Windsor Park poses more questions than it actually answers.

Interesting to note that as soon as the IFA grasps the concept of Marketing and Public Relations, the use it to create a negative news story which overshadows 3 (Or 4, if you wish to include Derry City ) teams from Northern Ireland playing in Europe .

If Windsor Park is as bad as it is made out, why isn’t it closed immediately?

The IFA have been plugging the “Fire Engines on stand-by� for internationals line. Why aren’t they on stand-by for club matches?

Or is it just a spin to sway public opinion against Windsor Park ?

Health and Safety is an important part of the UEFA Licensing Criteria. Linfield recently got a UEFA licence for the 4th year running. Yes, the same Linfield who play their home matches at Windsor Park .

Cliftonville and Dungannon haven’t had any worries about using Windsor Park for their home European matches either.

A UEFA Licence covers all level of Football, INCLUDING Internationals.

So Linfield haven’t kept the ground in good condition. Do you think they commissioned a Safety Report for the craic?

As a result of an early draft of The Miller Report, work has already taken place based on these recommendations. Hardly the work of an organisation who has failed to maintain.

Bit of a convenient time to release the initial press release, so that any response would be buried under news coverage of the 11th night bonfires and 12th parades.

Questions must be asked as to the IFA`s conduct. Leaking stories to the media, trying to smear one of your business associates, is only going to make them resistant to your attempts to reach an amicable agreement to end the contract.

The letter states that the IFA wishes to end the contract in January 2008.

The Qualifiers for the 2010 World Cup begin in September 2008.

I`m not a construction expert, but I don’t think a new stadium would be built in time.

That would see internationals played outside Northern Ireland . That’s just what the IFA want as they try to blackmail the public into backing a white elephant, despite the fact that a stadium in Northern Ireland is available.

The IFA have no shame in trying to sell this idea. Take the events of November 25th 2005.

Lunchtime, George Best dies

Within hours, Jim Boyce is talking about the George Best stadium at The Maze as a tribute.

If the IFA put as much energy promoting the Irish League as they do with The Maze, things wouldn’t be so bad.

So, where would Northern Ireland play their matches?

Maybe the IFA are looking to groundshare the Dundalk Icedome with the Belfast Giants?

Don`t be surprised.

I said that if the new IFA president is true to his word, things can only get better. Two weeks in charge, it appears he has already broken it.