Kerry legend laughs off ‘animal fans’ video

A KERRY GAA legend has laughed off an online video created by Cork fans which depicts Kingdom supporters as animals.

Five-time All-Ireland medal winner Jimmy Deenihan said Sunday’s game is bigger than any clip on YouTube.

“These things happen coming up to big matches and it won’t affect the Kerry players,” Mr Deenihan said.

He was reacting to a three-minute clip created by the diehard Rebel fans behind the People’s Republic of Cork (PROC) website.

Their clip was inspired by former Kerry manager Páidí O Sé’s infamous comments in 2003 in which he described Kerry supporters as “animals”.

The video shows two men wearing red and white jerseys capturing “disillusioned Kerry supporters” who have wandered like animals on to their farms. The Kerry fans are shown scrambling on all fours and being led on a lead.

A PROC spokesperson said it is not intended to cause offence.

“This is just a bit of craic. Cork and Kerry have a great rivalry and we hope this just adds to it. Sure, there is always great banter between us,” he said.

The narration begins: “There was a big bru ha ha few years ago when Kerry coach Paudie O Sé called Kerry fans the worst kind of feckin’ animals.

“But I’ve been living here in West Cork for years and we weren’t that surprised at all.

“A lot of Kerry fans would lose the plot when Cork would beat them, and end up in the wild.

“We’d see a fair few of them come over the border here into the Rebel county and we’d do our best to try and look after them and bring them back to health, but there’s only so much you can do.

“I captured my first Kerry animal when football started going downhill in the Kingdom – fouling, diving and all this carry on.

“Some of them can be quite dangerous so you have to be careful if you come on them, especially if they see the red and white, the blood and bandage... you have cover your face or they’ll go for your eyes.”

The narrator continues: “If Cork beats Kerry in an All-Ireland final, I think their fans will take it very, very, very badly.

“A lot of them will probably go back to their natural environment – mountains, forests and bogs.

“Cork farmers will end up with a lot of them in our fields.”

The clip has received more than 4,000 hits on YouTube since it was uploaded four days ago.

But Mr Deenihan, who won five All-Ireland football medals with Kerry – including four in row in ‘78, ‘79, ‘80 and as captain in ‘81 – said everyone knows Kerry fans are decent people.

“They are the most sporting fans in the country,” he said.

“They accept victory, which they have experienced a lot of. And when we lose, they are very magnanimous.

“They have a passionate interest in football. They feel they are almost part of the team selection process. That’s what makes Kerry football.”

Quoting the Gary McMahon song, The Green and Gold, he said: “And when we lose, there is no excuse, we pick up our bags and go.”

He also predicted Kerry will have the mental toughness on Sunday to beat Cork.

“This Kerry team has that steel. They have proven it over the years,” he said.