The Football Association of Ireland has been fined €20,000 by UEFA for singing a politically charged song. Players of national coach Vera Pauw sang the battle anthem of the Irish rebel movement IRA in October after their win over Scotland.
The Irish Republican Army undertook a bloody offensive in the last century in its struggle for independence from England. Because of this, the IRA’s battle anthem was controversial.
The players sang the song in the dressing room after Ireland qualified for the 2023 World Cup with a 1-0 win over Scotland. The pictures were later leaked. It shows that the players are celebrating in the locker room “Oh ah, up RA” sings.
The incident overshadowed Ireland’s World Cup qualification and led to an investigation by Police Scotland and a disciplinary investigation by UEFA. Pauw was quick to apologize for his team’s behavior.
“From the bottom of our hearts, we apologize to anyone who felt offended. We will discuss this with the players and remind them of their responsibility,” Pauw said in a statement.
The Irish women are qualifying for the World Cup for the first time and will compete in Australia and New Zealand next summer against hosts Australia, Canada and Nigeria. The Netherlands will meet the United States, Vietnam and the countries of the play-offs.
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