UUP Deputy Leader tables Assembly Motion opposing FIFA move that places NI Squad in jeopardy
Ulster Unionist Deputy Leader Danny Kennedy has tabled a motion in the Assembly that seeks support in opposing the recent eligibility proposal outline by FIFA that could mean players born in Northern Ireland can opt to play for the Irish Republic team.
Mr Kennedy’s motion reads:
“That this Assembly opposes the recent eligibility proposal outlined by FIFA;
Believes that it has the potential to cause serious harm to international soccer relations on the island of Ireland; and calls upon the Minister of Culture, Arts and Leisure to assist the Irish Football Association in opposing the ratification of this unfair and unjust proposal.”
In a statement Mr Kennedy said,
“I am hopeful that the business committee in the Assembly will fit this motion in at short notice. It is, I believe, an issue of high importance. The FIFA recommendation quite literally shifts the goalposts and places the very future of the Northern Ireland squad in jeopardy. FIFA should not be swayed by assertions about the Good Friday Agreement or subsequent agreements. The Constitutional position of Northern Ireland has been settled through the principle of consent.
Therefore we remain a separate national entity from the Irish Republic. Therefore there is no choice to be made. Players born in Northern Ireland should only play for Northern Ireland. Any changes to the current set up could effectively spell an end for the Northern Ireland squad. This is not something that I, or I believe a majority of people in Northern Ireland want. The Assembly can send a strong signal to FIFA and those advocates of this ill conceived proposal that they are barking up the wrong tree.”