Concern over Burke’s ‘wedding agreement’

THE Irish Hockey Association raised more than a few eyebrows at the European Championships over the weekend when it emerged that an Irish player was allowed home from the tournament on Friday to attend a wedding.

It has been confirmed that 29-year-old Hermes forward Jenny Burke had been given permission to fly back to Dublin early on Friday morning to attend the marriage of a friend.

She missed Ireland's 3-0 loss to Germany on Friday, but was back in Barcelona on Saturday morning to take a full part in the 1-1 draw against Ukraine.

Burke, a vastly experienced player with some 130 Irish caps to her credit, retired from international duty after the World Cup in Australia last year, but she and Karen Bateman were persuaded to return for this competition by coach Riet Kuper.

Ireland's apparent chronic lack of attackers was one of the reasons Kuper lured Burke and Bateman back from retirement. In Burke's case, it appears, she informed the coach she would only be available for the European Championships if she was allowed to return home to a best friend's wedding.

It is understood that most team personnel knew nothing of the circumstances and that even the team manager only found out about it when a taxi drew up to the team hotel on Friday morning to take Burke to the airport.

Kuper has come in for criticism from a number of quarters over her decision, particularly as Burke's selection in the squad meant disappointment for other younger players.

"Aside from the fact that people were left at home to accommodate someone who was going to be allowed home to attend a wedding, I don't think I have ever heard of an international player being allowed to leave a team base right in the middle of a major tournament to attend a wedding. It defies belief," one observer said.

In the meantime, there has also been much discussion among the many Irish supporters about the use of the rugby song 'Ireland's Call' as Ireland's 'national anthem' before each game here men's and women's.

The IHA apparently adopted the song as its anthem some time ago, but these championships are the first time many people have heard it being played before games and are bemused by the Phil Coulter ditty being described as "the national anthem of Ireland" by Spanish organisers.

Supporters are also angry that the Irish flag, is not flying here. Instead, the IHA flag, which is green with the four provincial coats of arms on it, is flown alongside the national flags of the other participating nations.

However, during last Wednesday's women's pool game between Ireland and Italy, flagpoles at the corner of the pitch which are used to display the flags of each nation in action in any particular match, the Irish tricolour was flown alongside the Italian flag.

It is understood that following a protest from a senior IHA member, the flag was taken down and since then the IHA flag has been used anytime Ireland play.