FAI trying to avoid bizarre play-off consolation match
THE FAI and their counterparts in Slovakia, Bosnia and Northern Ireland are lukewarm on the prospect of a March friendly between the two teams that lose their play-off semi-finals.
It has emerged that the nations are under pressure to play a game as they have to fulfil a certain amount of fixtures under their commitment to the lucrative centralised television deal with UEFA.
Ireland take on Slovakia in the playoff B semi-final on March 26 on the same night that Bosnia host Northern Ireland.
The winner of the latter match will have home advantage in the decider on March 31 with the victor advancing to Euro 2020.
However, FAI president Donal Conway has confirmed that the idea of the two losing sides clashing on the same night has been floated.
Excited
If Ireland were to lose in Slovakia, they would be away for that fixture too – manager Mick McCarthy would be in a bizarre situation given that his tenure effectively ends when Ireland’s Euro 2020 campaign concludes.
“We could be encouraged to play a friendly but the four teams involved might not be excited at that prospect,” said Conway, speaking in Bucharest after Saturday’s draw for the finals.
“If you are a losing team, I don’t think that’s the next thing that you want to move into, a friendly.”
“I think that the understanding is that the loser of Bosnia-Northern Ireland will host the friendly. We have to talk to UEFA. There is another window later on.”
That would be the summer window, where there are two friendly dates. Ireland could look to slot in a third fixture then, although the significance of that period will be determined by whether qualification is secured or not. If Ireland had qualified automatically for the Euros, they were set for March friendlies away to Holland and at home to Ukraine. It’s possible that those games will be revisited in the summer window if the schedule allows.
Slovakia is the focus in the short term with the FAI still waiting for absolute confirmation that Bratislava – as expected – is the stage for the semi-final.
“It’s a new stadium and a new pitch and it’s my understanding that there have been some teething difficulties,” said Conway,
Ireland would be entitled to 1,125 tickets for that game but the FAI will look for more. The prospect of a trip across the border for a decider with Northern Ireland would require a lot of planning and the short notice means plans need to be laid out in advance.
Conway sees no reason why Ireland fans would be stopped from taking the five per cent of tickets for a Windsor Park decider.
Restrictions were placed on away supporters for security reasons when the two sides met in 1993 and 1994 with only a small pocket of supporters and sponsors able to travel.
“I won’t speak for the guards or the PSNI,” said Conway, “Hopefully that’s where we are, we’ll obviously have to work very closely with the police forces on both sides of the border.
“There not being any huge security concerns, we would take our allocation and in that instance we would try to enhance our allocation (of 950 tickets). We’d have very good strong relationships with the IFA.”
The IFA and FAI are working together on the proposed bid for World Cup 2030 along with England, Scotland and Wales, while they are also running a joint bid for the 2023 European Championships.
It’s understood they face strong competition for the latter with France expressing an interest in staging.
The hands-across-the-border aspect appeals to UEFA, however, and is also viewed as a boost to 2030 prospects.