Assembly Blows Whistle On FIFA Plan

Soccer will be very much in mind up at the NI Assembly this week.

While members are to recognise the Northern Ireland soccer team's achievement in getting as far as they did in the European Championship qualifying campaign last month - with a reception proposed for the team - Sports Minister Edwin Poots has more controversial footballing issues to deal with as well.

Mr Poots has written to football's governing body FIFA in support of the Irish Football Association's appeal for a bar on players from Northern Ireland playing for the Republic.

There have been weeks of uncertainty over what the future holds for Northern Ireland's football team after FIFA announced it is planning to allow any player born in Northern Ireland to play for the Republic.

FIFA's Executive Committee will decide on Saturday whether to ratify the plan, which would give anyone born on the island the right to play for either jurisdiction.

The matter is to be debated at the Assembly today with Mr Poots supporting the position that players born in Northern Ireland should play only for Northern Ireland. "It would be a sad day for the people and population of Northern Ireland were we to go down the particular road where for example Protestants and Unionists were to play for Northern Ireland and Catholics and Nationalists were to play for the Republic of Ireland," he said.

Speaking in the Assembly, Mr Poots said that throughout the darkest days of the Troubles the Northern Ireland team had been made up of players from across the political and religious divides — something he said was under threat from a FIFA proposal.

Sinn Fein is backing the FIFA proposal and want Ulster soccer stars to play for the Republic, not Northern Ireland.

Meanwhile, and less contentiously, Mr Poots has praised NI striker David Healy, who scored a record 13 goals in the qualifiers.

He said a reception for the team would take place "as soon as it can be arranged".

He also confirmed that he has written to David Healy to congratulate him on the "remarkable feat" of becoming top goal scorer in the European Championship qualifying matches.

"To become the highest goal scorer in the European Championship qualifying campaign is a remarkable feat by any standards," Mr Poots said.

Northern Ireland narrowly missed out on qualification, finishing third in their seven-team group and recording victories over Spain, Sweden and Denmark.

(BMcC/KMcA)