Culture of hero worship has a dark side

A few weeks ago, a soccer club in which I have an interest was invited to an under-10 tournament in Kilkenny, writes Michael Clifford.

It included teams from Dublin and from towns in Leinster and Munster. Among the teams were two from a League of Ireland club, their A and B squads.

These superior teams walked through their games, beating all opposition by at least five goals and by as many as 10. The footballing value of such an experience is difficult to fathom, but it is possible that the coaches at the League of Ireland club were unaware of the weakness of the opposition before the games began.