Trapatonni bans player columns for Euros

Giovanni Trapattoni has imposed a ban on his Irish players writing columns for newspapers during the European Championships.

The manager has instructed the FAI to notify all prospective squad members of his decision, which will be effective from the moment the players are in-camp in Dublin in the build-up to the tournament in Poland in June. Ireland’s Championship players will be the first to gather at the squad’s base in Portmarnock on May 17 and, from that date forward, the ban will stay in place for the friendly games against Bosnia at home and Hungary away, the warm-up training camp in Montecatini in Italy, on through the group games against Croatia, Spain and Italy and, should Ireland progress, until such time as their interest in the competition is at an end.

It’s known that at least two such column agreements were in the pipeline but may now have to be shelved – or at least suspended for the duration of the Euros — on foot of the manager’s decision.