Soccer: FAI to resist City moves for McCarthy

The FAI will resist any approach by Manchester City to recruit Mick McCarthy as manager following Joe Royle's sacking yesterday.

Bookmakers in Manchester have slashed the odds against Republic boss McCarthy going back to his old club after some substantial wagers were laid on him.

But FAI President Pat Quigley, who fears City could be interested in McCarthy, said: "The timing is very unfortunate. Mick is contracted to us until the end of the World Cup qualifying campaign and that's that.

"Personally I can't see how he could possibly think of going when the

Republic team is top of the qualifying group and has a great chance of reaching the finals next year.

"Mick is doing a great job and we want to keep him."

Ireland, who are three points clear in Group Two with just four matches to go, meet third-placed Portugal in Dublin a week on Saturday and then travel to Estonia four days later.

Then they have home ties against Holland and Cyprus in which to clinch automatic qualification this autumn.

McCarthy, who succeeded Jack Charlton as national team boss in February 1996, has now presided over 50 international matches and massively rebuilt the squad after missing out on the last two major championship finals when his team were beaten in play-offs for places at World Cup 98 in France and Euro 2000 in Holland and Belgium.

The Ireland boss was handed a double-your-money new contract 18 months ago, repaying that loyalty to the FAI by steering his team to brilliant draws away to the Netherlands and Portugal at the start of this season before adding wins over Estonia, Andorra (twice) and Cyprus in the current qualifying campaign.

McCarthy, who has made City players Mark Kennedy and Richard Dunne key players in his squad, passed up opportunities to be considered for recent vacancies at home-town club Barnsley and Yorkshire rivals Sheffield United although there is little doubt that the 42-year-old former Millwall manager would like to return to club football once his Republic career is over.

But FAI media officer Brendan McKenna said: "Although the subject of Manchester City has obviously come up over the last few days there is a strong feeling that any approach to Mick would be firmly blocked.

"The hope here is very much that he will stick to his contract and that the association would fight for him to do so."