‘Let’s do it bigger and better’

Thomond Park could stage a soccer spectacular next year if Limerick FC chiefs get their way.

Club chairman Pat O’Sullivan hopes to attract the likes of Manchester United, Liverpool, Barcelona, Real Madrid and Manchester City to Limerick for a special tournament.

Claims a banana was thrown at Manchester City’s Gael Clichy in a friendly on Sunday night are unlikely to affect the plans.

O’Sullivan has been working with Damien O’Brien of Iconic Worldwide Events to bring Europe’s big hitters to the south-west in the coming years. O’Brien said he was determined to lead the drive for an ambitious four-team tournament at the same venue next year, with the four iconic clubs his main target.

“Next year we’d like to bring a tournament, with four teams if possible,” he said. “It is all down to the FAI of course to give us the sanction for that. Hopefully we can bring bigger teams here as well.

“We have set the precedent now so next year we’d like to bring the likes of Manchester City with someone different, maybe a Man United, Liverpool, Barcelona, Real Madrid, those kind of teams.”

The FAI refused to give the thumbs up to a friendly between Limerick FC and Barcelona in 2010 because it cannot sanction games in grounds with a capacity greater than 15,000, while plans to bring Celtic and Chelsea to the city this summer were also scuppered.

While O’Brien admitted he has come up against serious opposition to holding such a tournament in Limerick, he claimed the FAI would be more supportive if he planned to hold the game in Dublin.

“We wouldn’t have this difficulty in any other country. I don’t understand why we can’t get it sanctioned easier than we can get it here. I have no idea why, but I imagine if I brought teams to Dublin I would get it a lot easier,” he said.

“Grassroots football in the country needs this; it needs the top players coming over here. The FAI should get behind something like this. 20,000 plus people were here. All the money that was made tonight goes back into the local community as well.

“There was two great teams on show here tonight, so it was fantastic. This was an 11th hour option. We tried to get a tournament and we weren’t given the rights for it so we had to find something else. Limerick had to go to the High Court to get this game to go ahead.”

Immediately after the Thomond clash, the Limerick FC chairman said he was delighted the city proved it could host such an event.

“In less than three weeks we had over 20,000 here, which is brilliant. The most important thing we have done is we have proved that there is a market here if you find the right quality and you put on the right show. I am happy so let’s move on and repeat it next year,” he said.

“We just wanted to show that we could deliver this in a professional way. If we make a few bob on it, it stays within the club for the social projects we do. If we lose a few pound, myself and Damien will make that up. That’s our commitment.

“Just think about what this does for this town for the past three weeks. But the most important thing is we have proved we can deliver and that we can do it. I’d love to make a tournament out of it, because we have the hotels full on Saturday and Sunday. Look at the austerity in this country. This is a sports city; Galway have culture, we have sport, so lets maximise it for the benefit of the people.”