Giovanni Trappatoni’s parting comments about Irish football have been brought up again.
In September 2013, the then Republic of Ireland manager attempted to defend his record by comparing the standard of domestic football in Ireland to that of Austria and Sweden, who finished above Ireland in qualifying for the 2014 World Cup.
“I repeat we are proud because before the (Sweden) game we were in the same position with Sweden and Austria,” the Italian said.
“In Ireland there is no league. Our players play in England. In Sweden there is a league. In Austria there is a league.”
Needless to say, the comments didn’t go down well with League of Ireland fans, and Trap’s comments appear misguided when you consider the fact that eight of Ireland’s Euro 2016 squad began their careers in Irish domestic football.
Dundalk’s 3-0 victory over Champions League regulars BATE Borisov on Tuesday night further debunked Trap’s claim.
James McClean, who made his Ireland debut under the Italian, had a cheeky pop at the 77-year-old’s comments following the Lilywhites’ historic win. McClean was glued to the game and in an Instagram post wrote: “Some result! Some achievement for Dundalk and the league (which we don’t have) as a whole.”
The West Brom winger also praised Dundalk manager Stephen Kenny, and wished Cork well ahead of their Europa League tie against Genk.
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