All island team - Merge FAI and IFA

AdrianG08

No better time to do it. FAI is a toxic brand, both national teams dying on their arse, revamped all island leagues, 4 provincial high performance academies (Leinster, Connacht, Munster and Ulster) and an elite national unit also.

Not saying it changes our fortunes overnight but it would be a start.

And a big **** off to any sectarian ****e too before it gets started.

StringerBell

You can say a big **** off to any sectarian shite, but it won't stop it existing.

artanevilla

Will never happen.

The island of Ireland currently has 8 european spots, that would be halved overnight. Most of the IFA clubs are semi-pro or part time, they would find themselves in the 2nd tier of any All-Island League.

Which stadium do you use for home games? If you split it 50/50 you've lost half your revenue from both Windsor and Lansdowne.

Which clubs get the pick of these provincial academies and who do they play in competition?

Finally, instead of two basket case FAs on the island, we'd just have one bigger one, and instead of two teams not qualifying for major tournaments regularly, we'd just have one not qualifying regularly.

You say not to mention any sectarian shite but it is a factor, the two sets of fans are currently very incompatible. NI fans sing God Save the Queen and wave the Union flag, we wave the tricolour and sing a nation once again.

LuckyLloyd

The last thing the IFA would want is to merge with the FAI. There is a strong element within Northern Irish football that utterly despises anything to do with the South. A complete non runner.

NIMAN

It will have to happen one day, but won't be anytime soon.

But once there is a United Ireland, its won't be allowed to have 2 associations.

artanevilla

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122023711#Comment_122023711

There probably will be, sure Scotland, Wales and England aren't real countries and they have football teams. Look at Gibraltar sure.

NIMAN

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122024345#Comment_122024345

So are you saying when ireland is united, we can still have a northern Ireland team, and a Republic of Ireland team?

And Scotland isn't a real country? What does that even mean.

The Golden Miller

I've said it before, FAI should look for a special dispensation to operate in the north. UEFA and FIFA accept it's a unique situation. If people can choose their nationality, why can't teams. Cliftonville, Newry, Distillery etc join our league, the league gets a bigger geographical spread and grow.

The unionist teams can continue to play in their own dwindling and dying league, until they are forced to see reason, and jump on board.

There is no "Northern Ireland" team or "Republic of Ireland" team. You've one team who represents unionists and the other who represents the whole island!

The Golden Miller

They are real countries, not sovereign states. A country isn't a political term, but is used interchangeably, with sovereign states. The parameters for a country are far broader.

Likewise, the term nation, is not the same as a country or sovereign state, but often used interchangeably too. It relates to more people and culture.

The whole island of Ireland is a country and nation, but not a sovereign state, divided into two political statelets.

Likewise, had Scotland voted for independence and the country was partitioned, it didn't cease to be a country over night

~Rebel~

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122024452#Comment_122024452

You probably could apply for them to remain seperate entities (in the same way other regions have applied) - some get it, others don't. Gibraltar is a decent example - it's not a country or nation or state, it's a British Territory. But they have a league, and made the case, and are allowed to compete as a 'nation' representing that league.

Ultimately, international football is focused more on teams representing 'national' league structures, rather than actual statehood. So if you can make a case that two national leagues are worthwhile in a combined state, they may allow two 'national' teams representing those leagues.

As for Scotland/NI/England/Wales, that's the sort of situation that shows it's not cut-and-dried any direction, and there's grounds for argument depending on circumstance - "United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland" is one country and state. That's the entity that competes internationally in athletics for instance. But of course within that 'country', are 4 nations also defined as 'countries'. And each of them has their own league structure, so each of these leagues gets to have its own representative team. It's all a bit Father, Son, and Holy Spirit 😅

TheCitizen

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122022539#Comment_122022539

Wasn’t that always there with rugby. Players who played for Ireland but went on to be Ulster Unionist politicians or DUP politicians campaigning for “Ulster” to remain in the UK.

Things are changing within the North. Why would soccer be resistant to change? The fans? They become outnumbered and die out like a lot of other things.

The two associations are the stumbling block but both are basket cases beholding to government control and funding. They’ll do what they’re telt.

It should happen and the silly obstacles to it will continue to fade away.

chopperbyrne

This will only ever be a thing if Ireland ever unifies.

Until then it's a complete non-runner. The Setanta Cup/Champions Cup is the closest we'll get to an all island football competition.

8-10

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122024641#Comment_122024641

Team GB for Athletics, 4 separate football teams, 3 separate rugby teams (NI part of Ireland), 2 separate cricket teams (Wales don't have a team their players play for England, NI for Ireland and Scotland have their own)

It's all a bit mad alright

artanevilla

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122024452#Comment_122024452

Scotland aren't a sovereign state, they are a constituent of the UK which is a sovereign state. The fact that they, England, Wales and indeed Northern Ireland (which is another non-state constituent) have their own football teams is demonstration that you don't need to be a sovereign state like Ireland to be a member of FIFA and play at tournaments.

Gibraltar is probably the best example. They are certainly not a country by any stretch of the imagination yet they compete in UEFA and FIFA tournament both at international and club level.

We are a lot closer to a United Ireland than we are to a United Football Association. In the event of a United Ireland, whatever form that may take, it's highly likely the IFA and FAI will remain as seperate football associations, not only for political reasons, but financial reasons as outlined in my post above.

breezy1985

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122023711#Comment_122023711

Not allowed by who ?

NI is already a provence with a team same as Scotland and Wales so why would it change.

NIMAN

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122027860#Comment_122027860

Well my logic would be that ireland would be one country, and you couldn't have 2 teams representing 1 country.

I don't think it's the same using uk as an example, it's an anomaly. Fifa wouldn't allow a northern England and a Southern England team. Why would ireland be allowed to have it?

breezy1985

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122028034#Comment_122028034

Its not the same as northern England and southern England in a national context.

Its the same as England and Northern Ireland in a national context. The UK is one country however we commonly view it.

FIFA would have no more right to do away with Northern Ireland then as now. If they could they would definitely abolish Scotland, Wales and NI tomorrow because they hate their special status in the IFAB.

artanevilla

Outside of these waters you also have two teams claiming to represent China as well as Hong Kong. Both the US and the British Virgin Islands have a football team along with American Samoa.

Closer to home we have the Faroe Islands as well.

IAmTitleist

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122024608#Comment_122024608

You say the unionist teams "can continue to play in their own dwindling and dying league"…how many teams in Northern Ireland have went out of business in the last couple of decades? And what is the comparable number in the Republic?

The Golden Miller

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122029565#Comment_122029565

I mean if several clubs joined the League of Ireland, and the unionist orientated teams refused to come on board, let them continue to play in a dying league, they'll finally see sense.

But at usual, they'll try and take the good from everything and block progress "just because"!

cj maxx

I don’t see the why it wouldn’t work , UEFA gave wales an international team despite their status of legally being part of England until 1979 . I would love it . The last Irish team , a shamrock Rovers Xi lost 4-3 to Brazil in 1970 I think .

IAmTitleist

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122032076#Comment_122032076

Talk about bitter…

CrabRevolution

The IFA would never allow any of their clubs to join the LOI, and UEFA/FIFA wouldn't allow it without the IFA's approval.

There's no point arguing "Derry City did it" either, unless there's a club in NI currently in the same situation as Derry were in the 70s/80s.

The Golden Miller

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122035582#Comment_122035582

It shouldn't be up to the IFA. FIFA and UEFA already accept it's a unique situation, so should give a special dispensation to the FAI to operate in the north, no matter how much the IFA cry.

Both organisations once claimed to represent the whole island, and UEFA/FIFA did the easy thing, and decide the matter on arbitrary political lines.

"Northern Ireland" are a unionist team, not a team for "Northern Ireland", and the Republic of Ireland a team for everyone that's Irish across the whole island.

It's Ok for Derry in a sense, we get the Irish players there as they can access FAI facilities easier coming through. Where we're really losing out, is all our players from Belfast opting for the unionist team for convenience coming up through the ranks

If the FAI could operate in the north to some extent, the Belfast players would have an easier route to play for their country. It's not fair on them, and in turn we're losing alot of our own players

The Golden Miller

Even look at that Liverpool fella recently. An Irish lad who opted for "Northern Ireland", due to more FAI incompetence. The FAI should be onto UEFA every day to get a special dispensation to operate to some degree in the north.

But the organisation is a joke. Watched Belfast Celtic tour for 12 years after they left the league and subsequently disbanded, it never once dawned on the FAI to fight Belfast Celtics corner and bring them down here. The biggest failing ever in Irish football history. No excuse can ever make up for or justify their inaction as they let the greatest club side go under.

And they've never been held to account for it, and it's not something people throw at them. And I've no idea why

CrabRevolution

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122098856#Comment_122098856

How exactly do FIFA and UEFA accept it's a unique situation? Players from NI (or players descended from people born in NI) aren't eligible for the Republic because of some UEFA/FIFA dispensation, but because they're legally entitled to Irish citizenship.

UEFA wouldn't in a million years consider letting the governing body for area A start administering the game in area B, against the will of the governing body for area B.

You'd get Serbia wanting control over Bosnian football then, citing the Irish example. Both Albania and Serbia would claim Kosovo. There's big Hungarian speaking populations in countries neighbouring Hungary too. Then when Russia are inevitably let back into the fold, they would certainly demand that they be allowed administer the game in all Russian speaking areas in every country.

It's never going to happen.