Dunphy turns fire on RTÉ: Its nerve is gone

EAMON Dunphy took a parting shot at RTÉ Sport, saying it has lost the courage to back ‘pointed and intelligent commentary on the sport, even if it ruffled feathers’.

The pundit, 73, who retired from the broadcaster after 40 years on Wednesday, said RTÉ Sport had ‘lost its nerve’ and lived in fear of ‘keyboard warriors’.

In yesterday’s Irish Daily Star, Dunphy said: ‘For most of the four decades I had the time of my life but things haven’t been right for a while.’

Dunphy said he would not have survived his Italia 90 controversy if social media had been around at the time.

He was referring to his remarks after a scoreless draw between the Republic of Ireland and Egypt during the 1990 World Cup when he said the way the Republic went about the game was ‘shameful and embarrassing’. Dunphy followed up by throwing his pen down in disgust on live television, sparking controversy.

He wrote in yesterday’s paper: ‘Go back to the 1990 World Cup or the Platini thing at Euro 84, I’d have been finished if social media was around then.’

In 1984 he said the legendary Michel Platini, the French captain had ‘no bottle’ and was ‘not a great player’.

Dunphy also said: ‘I was very very lucky that [social media] didn’t exist when I was trying to make my way.’

He said: ‘RTÉ Sport lost its nerve and when that happens you’re in trouble.’

Dunphy claimed that RTÉ Sport lost the courage to back ‘pointed and intelligent commentary on the sport, even if it ruffled feathers’.

‘I’ll never forget the words of a senior executive in RTÉ Sport to us on the eve of [soccer’s 2016 European Championship]. “Go easy on Martin” was his message. Martin being Martin O’Neill of course,’ said Dunphy.

‘That was the brave new world of RTÉ Sport, even though there was nothing brave about it.’

Dunphy also claimed RTÉ Sport had lost sight of what made their soccer panel work so well. He claimed: ‘For many, many years, the RTÉ soccer panel was regarded as the best around, consistently kicking the a**** of the BBC and ITV during major tournaments. But RTÉ lost sight of what worked.

‘Now we have a situation where TV3 are hoovering up soccer rights and have a stronger panel,’ said Dunphy.

Dunphy also described as a stunt RTÉ’s decision to bring in women’s World Cup winning goalkeeper Hope Solo as a pundit

‘It’s lost sight of what worked’

during the World Cup. He said the broadcaster should have gone after Liverpool legend and pundit Graeme Souness instead.

Dunphy claimed the desire of RTÉ now is for ‘sanitised comments’ and for ‘people playing it safe and going with the flow’, adding that he wanted no part of that.

RTÉ declined to comment yesterday.