OFMDFM let Northern Ireland football down - Allister
02 March 2009
TUV MEP Jim Allister has denounced comments by FIFA President Sepp Blatter supporting the
In a statement the Traditional Unionist MEP said:-
“The weekend comments by Mr Blatter bode ill for the right and sensible decision emerging from FIFA on this sensitive and important issue. The IFA has long been campaigning for retention and respect of the FIFA eligibility rules which state that players need to have lived in the country for which they play for a number of years or have direct ancestors who were born in that country.
The FAI’s determination to redefine rule 901 to permit poaching of Northern Ireland players has had strong political backing from Dublin. Sadly, however, when I invited OFMDFM, in a letter of 9 November 2007, to match this lobbying on behalf of Northern Ireland, they declined. OFMDFM is supposed to have responsibility for representing Northern Ireland on the international stage. Yet, on this issue, no doubt because McGuinness wished to work against Northern Ireland’s interests, OFMDFM refused to lobby FIFA, leaving any lobbying to DCAL. This was shameful and has contributed to the direction in which FIFA is now headed.
We can also thank the Belfast Agreement for this injury to Northern Ireland football, because of the equivalence which it imports into citizenship.”
