Paul Bradford (Independent) | Oireachtas source

I cannot speak for John Delaney. However, the Minister of State, as the person responsible for sport, through his Department invests very significant funding in Irish soccer, and long may that continue. He should make his strong displeasure known because I believe we need to have a message of reconciliation from all the sporting bodies on this island. Soccer, the greatest game in the world from a participation perspective and a hugely popular game on both sides of the Border, has a major role to play in the reconciliation of this island. We have the odd dispute about whether players will declare for the North or the South, but our aspiration should be, as with our rugby players, that they will declare for an all-island Ireland team. Let us not worry about flags, anthems or emblems - I am sure we can come up with another song, if necessary. However, we should aspire to having a Thirty-two County Irish soccer team which is all-island rather than all-Ireland.

I believe the activity during the week was not helpful in that regard. The Minister of State cannot account for John Delaney and he can account only for his own Department, his own views and the views of the Government. Nonetheless, on the record and in this House, the Minister of State should make his views known, as well as, hopefully, his concerns and his disappointment. I have never met John Delaney; I just know of him and I have read some of his interviews since the incident was made known. He is entitled to his politics, he is entitled to his ancestry and he is entitled to be proud of what his grandfather did or did not do. However, he also has a duty as chief executive of the FAI to be extremely sensitive in regard to matters pertaining to Irish politics and, in particular, matters relating to the awful conflict which killed thousands of people on this island. I would ask the Minister of State, if he could, to comment on that issue.