Ireland ready to take a knee when they face Bulgaria
‘FOOTBALL IN IRELAND HAS BECOME A MULTI-RACIAL SOCIETY’
STEPHEN KENNY will discuss with the Republic of Ireland players whether to take a knee in Bulgaria in support of the Black Lives Matter movement.
And the newly-appointed Irish manager hasn’t ruled out taking the team off the pitch if they are racially abused in September’s Nations League opener in Sofia, so often a hotbed of raw racism.
Kenny was appalled at the monkey chants directed at England players when they played Bulgaria in the Euro 2020 qualifiers last October.
‘I saw the pictures from Bulgaria when England went there, and it was hard to believe. We’re in 2020,’ he said.
‘There was a big fallout from that in Bulgaria and that’s something we have to be cognisant of and it is something that we probably will have to discuss as a group.’
Would ‘taking a knee’ be something he’d consider before kick-off in Sofia on September 3?
‘When the squad is narrowed down we can have discussions about any issue. You have to be open to listen to players’ ideas to all of that,’ he said. Kenny was asked how he would react if one of his black players was targeted for abuse in the Balkans and whether he might remove his team from the pitch in protest?
‘These are things that we will have to discuss. I don’t think I can give you a straight answer on that now. You know, the whole (UEFA) three-step policy. I think it’s something that should be discussed beforehand to find a unified approach. It’s something that will be discussed with everyone.’
UEFA’s anti-discriminatory plan is for the referee to first stop the match, then suspend it and finally abandon it, if necessary.
England’s visit to Sofia nine months ago was delayed as their black players were subjected to monkey chants by Bulgarian fans, who also engaged in Nazi salutes.
In the fall-out, coach Krasimir Balakov resigned and UEFA ordered Bulgaria to play their next two home games behind closed doors, one of which was suspended.
Ireland have a number of black players likely to figure under Kenny, such as Darren Randolph, David McGoldrick, Callum Robinson and Cyrus Christie, who has been an articulate voice in the fight against racism.
Kenny was on the touchline when Eric Lavine was abused during Longford Town’s visit to Bulgaria in 2001.
The international boss is keen to stress ‘in a positive way’ how football in Ireland has evolved into a multi-cultural society where there is no place for anyone who holds racist views.
‘It is something I’ve thought about. I’ve had quite a few meetings with Des Tomlinson (FAI Intercultural Officer) on a lot of the issues,’ he said.
‘It’s something we will have to incorporate from all levels of the game, from Under 14s and Under 15s right through to the senior team.’
Kenny says he doesn’t do nostalgia, but surely even he can’t avoid the symmetry of a return with Ireland to where it all began for him at club level – August 23, 2001, when he led Longford Town into the UEFA Cup preliminaries against Litex Lovech.
At the time, everyone in Irish football only had eyes on the Republic of Ireland’s World Cup qualifier against Holland in Dublin nine days later.
After drawing the first leg 1-1, Longford were undone by two goals in injury time in the return.
It was a most credible Euro start for Kenny, who had lifted a provincial club from the second tier to promotion, the FAI Cup final, and to Europe.
At 29, his feats were that of a young manager on the up.
His climb continued to where he sits today, master of the Republic of Ireland with a mandate from the FAI to oversee how all international teams play.
And also ready to take a stand in the fight against racism if the mood in Sofia turns spiteful.