Gibney's Gibberings Gutted

"Do politics and sport mix? Invariably the answer to that question is no. Can politics be kept out of sport? Most times but occasionally politics impacts on sport whether we like it or not.

And when it does there is no point side-stepping or standing back from the issue on the grounds that politics and sport do not mix.

We are at one of those points as a result of the recent activities of the Irish Football Association (IFA)."

Here we go, hold onto your hats, let’s have a bit of fun and do a deconstruction on Jim Gibney, ex-IRA, Irish News journalist and now apparently also an expert on FIFA rule-book.

"Over the past number of months the IFA has been trying to redefine the nationality of people born on this island to suit its narrow objective of having exclusive rights to any soccer player born in the six counties."

The IFA has been removing peoples’ Irish passports?
That’ll be news to the several members of the Northern Ireland team who travel on them.

"The IFA has been putting obstacles in the way of players from the north who wish to play for the Republic of Ireland team."

No, anyone from the north (eg Donegal) of the Republic can still play for them . If he’s got his nomenclature wrong and he actually means players from Northern Ireland, then wrong again. The IFA has asked FIFA to clarify their eligibility requirements. FIFA might rule in favour of the FAI, it might rule in favour of the IFA, but whatever, at least we’ll know exactly where we stand.

"The IFA lobbied the world-governing body for soccer, International Federation of Football Associations (FIFA) in an attempt to pressurise them to change the rules of eligibility in an Irish context."

Wrong again Jimbo.
IFA are not asking for the rules of eligibility to be changed, they are asking for them to be
a)clarified and
b) enforced in an “Irish context”.

"Reports in the media suggest that the IFA has made progress in its efforts to block players from the six counties playing for the Republic on grounds of national identity."

Actually, I’m a bit suspicious of these reports in the media, who’s doing the leaking and to what purpose? Once the decision is made fine, we’ll get the official confirmation and we’ll take it from there. On a purely unrelated matter hasn’t it all gone very quiet on the Maze front recently; where is that business plan promised for the end of October then? Cynical old me is wondering about a posiible connection…

And oh yes, they’re not being blocked on grounds of “national identity” (presumably he means “Irish” national identity here), they may be blocked because they do not pass FIFA’s eligibility rules, not because of their “national identity”.
I used the comparison of Croatians in Bosnia a couple of weeks ago over at Everything Ulster to explain this principle and apparently “my mask” slipped when doing so…but ignoring that lazy knee-jerkery I’ll use the example again. A twenty year old ethnic Croatian born in Mostar would have been born before the collapse of the Yugoslavia state. OK, now he lives in a country called Bosnia, but it’s probably a good bet that he will still feel a Croatian “national identity”. I don’t know Croatia’s requirements for isssuing passports, but even if he does get one, if he does not fulfill FIFA’s other requirements he cannot play for Croatia. Case Closed.

"In practice, if it succeeds, this would mean that the IFA has achieved in a few months what the British government for centuries and the unionists for 80 years failed to do: change to British from Irish the nationality of people born in the six counties."

Again, the IFA is going round at the dead of night nicking peoples’ Irish passports? It’s sending out snatch squads to remove the Irish tricolours which fly a couple of hundred metres away from The Satan Bowl, aka Windsor park? I knew there was a reason why we never got to hear Christy Moore or the Wolfe-Tones over the Windsor PA before internationals.

A few words in Sept Blatter’s ear and bang, it’s that easy to change “to British from Irish the nationality of people born in the six counties”?
We should have tried that trick a long time before then.

"The IFA is touching a raw nerve."

Apparently so and apparently it’s causing the heads of, normally semi-rational people like Gibney to explode in a cloud of illogicality.

“It is in effect trying to deny, primarily nationalists, born in the six counties their Irish birthright.”

Ha, good, progress so now it’s “only in effect “. Still hopelessly wrong though.

"Nationalists across this island do not accept the legitimacy of Britain's occupation or the partition of this country.

They do accept that one of the consequences of that occupation is that a sizeable number of people claim British citizenship."

Not only that Jimmy, they feel a British identity and after all you’ve said on the matter of “national identity” you wouldn’t be trying to deny them that “priveledge” now then would you?

“Nationalists recognise the existence of this claim on the clear grounds that it does not impinge in any way on the boundaries of this nation nor does it alter the intrinsic right of nationalists, or unionists if they so wish, to claim Irish citizenship, whichever part of Ireland they are born in.”

Nice of them.
And so?
Relevance to Darron Gibson?

“This right is enshrined in the Irish constitution and it is this document which nationalists look to for the protection of their birthright.
The Good Friday Agreement includes a complementary clause on Irish and British citizenship which does not contradict the Irish constitution. “

Where exactly are you going here? Complete irrelevant non-sequiter, I’m afraid.
International soccer is governed by FIFA, not the Belfast Agreement. If you want to play in their tournaments, then you abide by their rules, seems fair enough to me.

"Soccer has a huge following in this country. There are two international teams, the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland.

The Republic of Ireland team is managed by the Football Association of Ireland (FAI) and Northern Ireland by IFA."

You don’t say, FFS, talk about a filler; I think most people reading will have gathered those facts over the years. Anyway, you’ve already mentioned it in your first paragraph.

"Broadly speaking, the north's team draws its support from the unionist and Protestant community and the Republic draws its support from nationalists"

“unionist and Protestant community” but “nationalists and”....no similar religious classification for N.Ireland’s Republic’s supporters because, well...because, well...Subtle bit of sectarianism slipped in there on Gibney’s part, see if you can spot it.

"Broadly speaking, the supporters of both teams invest their national identity and aspirations in the team of their choice and express that identity in the flags and emblems they carry to matches. "

“Broadly speaking”, if you were to travel outside your narrow, little, bigotted, cultural ghetto, you’d realise that’s the case not only in N.Ireland, but with international teams all over the world....really, you’ll have to trust me on that one.

“These are generalisations because shifts are taking place among the support base of both teams.

There has been a crossover by fans in support for both teams and this has been increasing in recent years”

Has there?
That must have passed me by, if anything I’d say the bitterness is as bad, if not worse, than it’s ever been....but that’s just a personal feeling,I’ve no stats to back that up, but then neither has Gibney, the difference is that I’m an idiot writing on a two-bob blog whilst Gibney is supposed to be a professional journalist who uses stuff like you know, facts and research, to back up wild assertions.

"This is mainly due to the success of both teams at an international level, political changes here and the efforts by the IFA to remove the overt displays of sectarianism associated with their supporters."

Mmmm….”the success of both teams”, “relative”, I’d have probably inserted somewhere there.
“Political changes”- how have those affected international football either side of the border?
But let’s get back to “the efforts by the IFA to remove the overt displays of sectarianism associated with their supporters”.

OK, Football for All has been a success in terms of its target, which, sorry to disappoint Jimbo, is not to primarily attract more nationalists to the games, but to make watching the games a more attractive and comfortable experience for everyone. Strange as it may seem to be some, sitting next to an uber-prod belting out the Billy Boys and abusing his own players on account of their religion is not what the vast majority of Northern Ireland fans themselves want. If as a result of FFA, more nationalists want to come watch then great, but it’s only an extra bonus.

"These displays are not only offensive to nationalists they also reflect a mixed, some would say, confused, political allegiance.
The supporters tend to focus their attention on an 'Ulster' identity although they carry union flags and sing God Save the Queen."

Now hold on a doggone minute there, those are the “the overt displays of sectarianism associated with their supporters”, you were talking about before?
The Union flag is no more of a sectarian symbol than the Irish tricolour. It’s not really seen that often now anyway at NI matches anyway.
GSTQ is the British national anthem, not a sectarian party tune.
That’s not to say, I don’t think it’s inappropriate for the Northern Ireland team, but only in so much it’s also inapproriate for either Scotland or Wales, ie we need an anthems which is exclusively ours.

And what on earth is this “focus on an “Ulster identity”? The name of the team is “Northern Ireland”, players born in Northern Ireland play for it, the vast majority of fans carry emblems, scarves and flags relating to, not Ulster, but Northern Ireland (all that green on evidence on international nights at Windsor should’ve given you a clue Mr Gibney).

"The focus on an 'Ulster' identity may be another explanation for some of these supporters backing the Republic."

Doubt it.

"Tackling sectarianism by the IFA does not give it the authority to question the nationality of a person born in Ireland."

Here we go again.
For the umpteenth time, the IFA stands for the Irish Football Association, it deal with matters “football”, it has no interest in stealing peoples’ nationality. It does have, admitedly, an interest in ensuring that FIFA’s rules are adhered to. But those are FIFA’s rules not the IFA’s and guess what? They are employed without fear or favour thorughout the football world.

"Whatever about these complexities there must be clarity on the right of soccer players born in the six counties to play for the Republic."

“
Oh, don’t worry, you are going to get that “clarity” very soon, pal; it just may not be the type of “clarity” you’re wanting.

The guarantor of that is the Irish government, nationalist representatives in the assembly and the FAI.

The Irish government, nationalist representatives in the assembly and the FAI are now the sole guardians and interpreters of international football’s rule book? The World Cup will now be run according to regulations set down jointly by Bertie and a special Sinn Fein Ard Fheis?
Better get those oul orange shirts changed or that’s Holland’s future chances knackered then for a start.

"The IFA should desist from its present course of action."

Or what? Yawnnnnnnnnnn….
OK, goodbye Jim, who’s next?
November 4, 2007