Kerr upbeat about Corcoran

Republic of Ireland manager Brian Kerr tonight expressed his relief that FIA president Milo Corcoran will be fit to return home to Dublin tomorrow.

Corcoran was taken ill on the plane carrying home the players, team officials, media and some supporters following last night’s 1-1 World Cup qualifying draw against Israel in Tel Aviv.

The plane was just about to take off when the captain announced they were returning to their gate Ben Gurion International Airport as a passenger was ill.

It was then soon revealed the passenger concerned was Corcoran, who was attended to by Ireland team doctors Conal Hooper and Alan Byrne.

An ambulance soon arrived on the scene, with Corcoran taken to a local hospital to undergo tests, which later showed no serious problems.

Corcoran, though, is to be detained overnight and is understood to be returning home tomorrow, with Kerr confirming: “I don’t think the situation is too serious.

“The fact he was taken from the plane was a precautionary measure.

“Given the length of the flight (five-and-a-half hours) it’s always wise to err on the side of caution.

“Of course, what’s happened was a surprise and in a situation like that when someone becomes unwell, it puts the game into perspective a little bit.

“I don’t want to exaggerate what happened, but we were in an excellent situation of having two experienced, highly-thought of doctors with us who were able to deal with it.

“The Israeli people were also quickly on hand to make things comfortable, and although we were held up, that was not an issue.

“The main thing is Milo returns to do his duties again as quickly as possible.”

It is not yet known whether Corcoran will be fit to attend Ireland’s friendly against China at Lansdowne Road on Tuesday night.