Show the red card to replica jersey rip-off
I drew this to the attention of Olivia Mitchell, the Fine Gael TD who tabled the following Dáil question:
“To ask the Minister for Arts, Sport and Tourism if he will use his influence with the FAI to encourage it to minimise the number of jersey design changes for the Irish team in view of the fact that these frequent changes put unjustifiable pressure on parents of its young fans.”
The Ceann Comhairle disallowed it on the grounds that the minister has no official reasonability for this matter, which is an administrative one for the FAI.
Has the minister any official responsibility for certain administrative decisions of the FAI - ie, the mode of filling two posts, chief executive and financial director?
You reported (Irish Examiner, November 12) a demand by the Government that these posts be advertised before January.
A related issue not raised is that of frequent changes of gear by leading soccer clubs - one of the best known being Manchester United.
The Northside People mentioned the case of a six-year-old boy at a local football tournament who was taunted by other children because he was wearing an old-style Manchester United jersey.
This illustrates the pressure placed on parents.
Such clubs’ players are in a very high earnings league especially compared to the typical Olympic sport or to soccer in the time of such as Stanley Matthews.
These players are benefiting at the expense of such parents and should disown such oppressive practices by their clubs. But it is clear they will not do so unless they are shamed into it.
A question for the minister - probably not parliamentary admissible - is whether it is acceptable for a member of the Irish team to play for such a club without disowning a policy of frequently changing the club shirt.
Michael J Nagle
38 Rathfarnham Park
Dublin 14
