The Irish Women’s National Team punched their ticket to the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup following a win over Scotland, but the celebration has not been all sunshine and rainbows. The European Football Governing body UEFA is now launching an investigation into the team and their response following the victory.
The 1-0 win was definitely worth celebrating as it marks the first time Ireland has qualified for World Cup play in 20 years. The team has made it to the tournament on three occasions (1990, 1994, 2002), but have never made it past the quarterfinals. While celebrating is warranted, the manner in which the team did so is what is under fire and cause for an investigation.
A video from the locker room at Hampden Park has gone viral as members of the team were seen singing “up the Ra” which references the Irish Republican Army (IRA). The name was used by several paramilitary organizations opposing British rule on the island of Ireland, most notably the Provisional IRA which was active during the Troubles in Northern Ireland.
The conflicts in Ireland took place over an almost 30 year period in which extreme violence led to over 3,500 deaths, mostly civilians, and destruction around the country, sometimes spilling into England. The chant following the match is of particular concern because it portrays support for a paramilitary group that was deemed terroristic by the United Kingdom during the time of the Northern Ireland Conflict.
A UEFA statement read, “In accordance with Article 31(4) of the UEFA Disciplinary Regulations, a UEFA Ethics and Disciplinary Inspector will investigate potential inappropriate behavior by players of the Republic of Ireland Women’s team in the aftermath of the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup qualifiers play-off second leg match played against Scotland on 11 October 2022. Information on this matter will be made available in due course.”
The Republic of Ireland’s team manager, Vera Pauw, also released a statement following the viral social media video saying, “We apologize from the bottom of our hearts to anyone who has been offended by the content of the post-match celebrations after we had just qualified for the World Cup. We will review this with the players and remind them of their responsibilities in this regard. I have spoken with players this morning and we are sorry collectively for any hurt caused, there can be no excuse for that.”
Pauw, of Dutch descent, did go on to say she was not in the locker room with the team during the celebration in question, but would not have recognized the wrongdoing if she had been there. She said, “I must admit that if I had been in the dressing room I would not have recognized it because that is the downside of having a foreign coach. I would not have been able to do anything about it. But, that doesn’t mean that I do not have responsibilities. I take full responsibility for what happened and we will address it further.”
While it is unclear if there will be any punishment brought upon the team for what occurred by UEFA, there are family members of victims of the 1974 Birmingham pub bombings who have criticized the players and some have even called for the team to be banned from World Cup play. For some, the apology is simply not enough and further punishment is being sought after.
Upon the completion of the investigation, UEFA will release a statement with its decision on punishment.
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