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Irate Irish players and fans held to ransom in Belgrade

by Dan Collins
IRELAND'S European championship squad and their fans were held to ransom by the Belgrade airport authority which delayed their flights back home until inflated taxes were paid.
Last night, Trans Aer, the independent Irish charter airline, made a scathing attack on the Belgrade Airport Authority, which yesterday morning refused to allow the flight carrying Irish fans depart at the scheduled time.
The airport authorities suddenly doubled the tax from £20 to £40 for each of the passengers on Wednesday night's post match Aer Lingus flight and yesterday's chartered Aer Lingus plane.
The Irish senior and under-21 squad and journalists expected to fly out at 11.30 local time on Wednesday night.
But officials instructed the captain to leave the cockpit and take part in the talks between Irish and airport officials.
After 90 minutes of haggling the plane took off without the Irish having to pay extra. "Am I glad to be out of there at last — you don't want to know what went on in that office," said FAI president Pat Quigley afterwards.
Two weeks ago the Belgrade Airport advised Trans Aer a new tax of £20 would be levied on each departing passenger.
"Trans Aer made attempts with the Embassy in the UK, on behalf of Irish supporters, to have these taxes dropped. Even though verbal confirmation was received Trans Aer never received written confirmation. So, in conjunction with 747 Travel, we made contingencies for the eventual payment of these taxes," a spokesman for the charter company said.
The captain of the Airbus A320 carried over £10,000 in cash to pay the tax on behalf of his passengers.
At 10am yesterday, Trans Aer received notification for the first time that the Belgrade Airport tax had been increased and because of the lack of warning there was no way the carrier could arrange additional payment in advance of the 1.30pm departure time.
"All attempts by Trans Aer to get credit and pay on receipt of invoice were refused by the airport authority," the company said.

Eventually Trans Aer in conjunction with the charterer 747 Travel pooled their financial resources and paid the unexpected bill.
The irate Irish fans then left Belgrade airport after a one-hour delay.
The carrier said it would be taking the matter up with the officials at the Yugoslav Embassy in London.

McCarthy's men come away with their heads held high

by Bill George
IRELAND'S team manager Mick McCarthy pointed to team captain Roy Keane at Dublin Airport in the small hours of yesterday morning and said: "He has been world-class for us now for sometime ... he just gets better and better." McCarthy was striving to put into words his contrasting emotions after Wednesday's dramatic European Championship tie in Belgrade — delight on the one hand that Ireland had performed with such distinction; despair that they had lost a match that could prove crucial.
"I would love to qualify for Euro 2000 by playing good football," he said, "but, on the other hand, if we don't qualify then it will not matter what type of football we have played, whether it is long or short."The perennial predicament of all ambitious managers — and where was there ever a manager who was not ambitious — was suddenly and unexpectedly unveiled in the most unlikely surroundings.
The arrivals hall at Dublin Airport was deserted at that outrageous hour of 4am except for the returning FAI party — senior and U21 players, FAI officials, a total of 51 media representatives and a scattering of supporters.
"It is hard for me to evaluate all of this," said McCarthy as he reviewed the tumultuous happenings of a busy night in Belgrade, not least of which was the 90 minutes delay in a cramped departure lounge while airport officials attempted to prise another $30 per person from Aer Lingus, Treacy Travel who were the agents, and the FAI.The travellers had already paid a $30 departure fee and a $10 airport charge in addition to the cost of a visa but still Belgrade sought to squeeze another bounty — amounting to a princely $4,500 for a full complement of 150 passengers — at the 11th hour."I haven't had time to analyse the game," said McCarthy, "I will sit down in three or four days time and look at it again on video and then I will be able to fully rationalise it.
"But I know we had a lot of good performances out there and I know that I quite enjoyed watching us play football, I thought we played very attractively at times and were good to watch."The bitter-sweet flavour of the past evening was ever present, however, lurking just under the manager's tongue.
"But we ended up with nothing and that is difficult to take," he said, "I would rather we had played rubbish and won the match."Quite, but what is football if it is not an entertainment and what value a result if it is achieved on the back of a performance lacking guile or style or any of those qualities of the game that can so uplift and inspire ... qualities well illustrated by young Damien Duff?
It was no coincidence that two Yugoslavia players were yellow carded because of fouls they committed on the Blackburn winger.
One neat check and turn inside a tackle in the minutes immediately after half-time sent two opponents on walk-about and left Irish fans mentally willing the Dublin youngster to advance quickly in years and experience.
While praising Ireland for their dogged resistance and for the degree of style in their play it is only right to acknowledge, however, that this type of defensive defiance is a role that successive Irish teams have been comfortable with over the years.
Ireland would not have been flattered with a draw — and the penalty claims were justified — but Yugoslavia just about deserved their win and Ireland's real test will come when they face these and Croatia and Macedonia in Dublin and take on the more difficult task of scoring and winning.
The skill of young Duff offers hope, of course, as does the presence of such promising young attacking players as Robbie Keane, injured for this match, Keith O'Neill and David Connolly.
Manager McCarthy will have to devise an even better game plan if Ireland are to make a substantial bid for qualification for Euro 2000 by winning their home matches.(

FAI not to blame for match TV contract

by Bill George
THE FAI, yesterday, disclaimed responsibility for the absence of live TV coverage of Wednesday's European Championship tie in Belgrade from the national broadcaster — RTE.
FAI president Pat Quigley revealed that the federation's headquarters had been bombarded with telephone calls from irate fans on the days before the match.
"Some people who were normally used to watching our matches on RTE and were not in a position to tune in to TV3 for live coverage were under the impression that we had some responsibility in the matter. The reality is that we had no part to play in who succeeded in winning the contract to broadcast the match and we had no influence on the issue at all."
The match was screened live exclusively on TV3 and RTE were only allowed show news items surrounding the match. The new station released figures, yesterday, indicating that 1·2m tuned into their coverage — TV3's biggest single audience to-date. Managing director Rick Hetherington said: "We are delighted with the audience figures. I believe the team did a superb job and we intend to maintain this momentum so that we can continue to give our viewers the quality sports coverage they want."
However, many thousands of armchair followers were denied access because they were not in an area serviced by TV3.
Mr Quigley, who lives in Galway, said: "We have received many complaints from people on the western seaboard, especially right up through Mayo and Donegal, and many people who know me believed we in the FAI sold the rights to TV3.
"The reality is that UEFA control the rights to the competition, and the home federation is responsible for completing an agreement with broadcast companies. UEFA sub-contracted the rights to a German agency, UFA, and it was they who sold the contract to TV3 for all our away matches and the matches between the other teams — Yugoslavia, Macedonia, Croatia and Malta.
"We did not receive one penny out of any of that; we only have control over our matches in Dublin."
Meantime, TV3's 21-year-old commentating debutant Conor McNamara was basking in the afterglow of positive reviews yesterday on his Belgrade performance.

Staunton delights in display of Damien Duff

by Bill George
IRELAND'S talented teenager, Damien Duff, is set for a long successful international career in the opinion of Steve Staunton.
The Liverpool defender, now glorying in veteran status at the relatively young age of 29 in a youthful Irish team, was full of praise for Duff after Wednesday's spirited Irish performance in Belgrade.
"He is going to become a very good player," said Staunton, who was winning his 77th international cap against Yugoslavia.
In contrast this was only the 5th appearance by the Blackburn Rovers youngster who will not be 20 years of age until March.
Staunton played directly behind Duff in his Irish appearances and was ideally placed to evaluate his rapid progress.
"He has made progress in every match," said Staunton, "this was his best performance and he shows great confidence and ability in his play. He will continue to improve as he grows stronger and more experienced."
Staunton had no doubt Ireland should have been awarded as least one of their two penalty claims, the refusal of the claim when Yugoslavia's Mihajlovic (Lazio) handled the ball under pressure from Mark Kinsella was especially annoying.
"He had his hand above his head when he jumped for the ball," he said, "what was he doing with his hand up there?
"If you touch the ball in that position then it has to be a penalty because you can have no other reason for lifting your hand above your head."
The Irish players were unanimous in their belief that the loss of three points to Yugoslavia in one of the two most difficult matches they will face in the group need not prevent Ireland from qualifying for the finals in Belgium and Holland in 2000.
"The matches between Yugoslavia, Croatia and Macedonia will all be very close," said Drogheda-born Staunton, "and it would suit us grand if they drew all those matches. Stranger things have happened."
"We should have got something out of Belgrade" he added, "we had our scoring chances, particularly late in the game and we would have deserved a draw.
"We knew we were doing well when the crowd quietened down after the first 30 minutes, that is what you set out to do.
"They had very little to cheer until they got that scrappy goal and I thought we played very well to control them."
Staunton has won major trophies in a great Liverpool team as a teenager. He rejoined his favourite club from Aston Villa at the start of this season and is reputed to be earning £1 million a year at Anfield.
He has seen major changes in the game in England in his time with the advent of the Premiership sparking off a revolution in the quality of the stadiums and, in particular, the quality of the playing surfaces.
"The pitches are fantastic nowadays, at all the grounds," he said, "the pitch in Belgrade was very heavy and it cut up and you don't see that in the Premiership.
"It has become much more difficult to win matches now ... there are no more easy teams in the Premiership, even the so-called easy teams are very difficult to beat."
Ireland did not arrive in Dublin after the match until 4am but the arrangement of returning immediately after away games is popular with managers.
They have their players back in England early on the day after the game and they are all under instructions to report — even if they are short of sleep — for training or for treatment for any knocks they might have received.
Staunton is sure to experienced mixed emotions this weekend when Liverpool play his former club, Aston Villa.

Steve can set Bosman Ruling record

by Simon Stone
STEVE MCMANAMAN will sign the biggest deal since the Bosman Ruling was introduced if he decides to quit Anfield during the summer.
So far, 14 clubs have expressed an interest in the 26-year-old England midfielder, whose Anfield contract expires at the end of the season.
A contract offer from Liverpool is already on the table, and McManaman must now decide whether to accept or quit the club he joined as a schoolboy.
Either way, McManaman is about to become very rich as he cashes in on the demands for his services.
''It will be the biggest Bosman Ruling deal if he does go,'' said the player's adviser Colin Gordon, who added that McManaman still is not certain to leave Anfield.
''There have been inquiries from about 14 clubs already from Italy, Spain and England – but I don't think Steve will be making any snap decisions.
''There is so much talk about this deal or that deal being done when in fact nothing has been done.
''Steve has a number of opportunities but he has to think very seriously about which one is right for him.''
McManaman is expected to be out of action for another six weeks as he nurses his troublesome Achilles tendon injury, and Liverpool boss Gerard Houllier may use the period to force the issue.
Houllier knows that if McManaman delays until the end of the season he will be free to walk away from Anfield without a fee.
With that situation in mind, the French manager may attempt to push a deal through in the new year when Liverpool would be able to make a small amount of money on the transfer.
European Champions Real Madrid head the list of clubs bidding for McManaman's services, but loyalty could yet play a big part in his final decision. ''Steve is already playing for one of the top clubs in Europe, so although he is in a strong bargaining position there is no certainty that he will leave.
''He is a very loyal man, with a sensible head on his shoulders. You could hardly accuse him of flitting from club to club.
''If Liverpool decided they were going to cash in, then I suppose Steve would be at liberty to talk to other clubs.
''But the matter is in their court at the moment.''

Evergreen Dowie still has a spring in his step for North

by David Anderson
FOR A player in the autumn of his career, Iain Dowie still has a spring in his step.
As player-coach at QPR the emphasis for the Northern Ireland striker these days is on game-plans rather than playing.
But against Moldova last night he did not look his 33 years as he chased around the Windsor Park turf like a spring lamb.
Dowie's reward in the Euro 2000 qualifier was his first international goal since April 1997 to leave him just one short of Colin Clarke's Northern Ireland record of 13.
His header was the perfect riposte to those who have sneered at him for carrying on with the Irish when he has all but given up playing for his club.
While he would love to break Clarke's record, he revealed it is the pride he feels playing for his country that really keeps him going.
''It was nice to get the goal, and I think there are a few people who have been saying this is Iain Dowie's epitaph,'' he said.
''It was nice maybe to prove a point, and I felt I did okay.
''I love playing for Northern Ireland, and it really was a dream to play and score.
''Of course I would like to break the record, but that does not drive me on.
"Playing for Northern Ireland drives me on, and if you can't get up for internationals you shouldn't be in the game at all.
''I believe I have something more to give. Now there may come a time when the James Quinns and Phil Grays come along and take that mantle, which would be fine.
''But there may also come a time when with 20 minutes left in a game they might feel they need to put Iain Dowie on - and that's what I will be available for.''
Dowie did not overtax himself in the build-up to the game and he believes this, along with the gruelling training regime introduced by QPR manager Gerry Francis, is the reason for his rejuvenated display.
''I've never been in this situation before where I wasn't playing, but playing international football,'' he said.
''To be fair I was the first to hold my hand up and say I didn't think I played well in our last game against Finland.
''So what I did this week was a little bit different to last time when, because I was not as fit as I wanted to be, I did too much.
''I ran my legs out in training and I suffered for it in the game.
''Doing the running Gerry makes us do is hard work. But I have competed very well in that, and that has kept me very fresh.
''The lads said I looked much fresher in this game, and I must say I did feel better.''
Despite having Clarke's record in his sights, Dowie insists his real goal is a place in the Euro 2000 finals.
That, though, is looking increasingly unlikely for Northern Ireland after dropping two points in the 2-2 draw against Moldova.
The Irish have taken four points from three games, and their next Group Three opponents are European champions Germany at Windsor Park in March.
But a defiant Dowie said: ''We've got to bounce back and get a result against Germany, because if we do that then the whole picture changes again.''

Graham plays waiting game on transfers

by Neil Silver
GEORGE GRAHAM fears he will not be able to make a major signing for Tottenham until February at the earliest.
The Spurs manager has a reported £18million transfer fund burning a hole in his pocket – but cannot find anybody to spend it on at the moment.
''There is money to spend,'' said Graham. ''The problem is, at this time of the season the quality players you would like to bring to the club are just not there.
''There is an occasional transfer, like Dion Dublin, and I can assure you we are trying but with no success apart from Mauricio Taricco from Ipswich. We are constantly making inquiries to see how the land lies, but have not made bids for any players.
''If you think about it, there will probably not be any movement until February. That is the time when a lot of teams may have been knocked out of the League Cup and FA Cups and you hope they might want to do business."
Graham's task this weekend is to keep his players motivated for the visit of Nottingham Forest.
He was relieved to have England duo Sol Campbell and Darren Anderton back in training yesterday, while striker Steffen Iversen is travelling back from international duty with Norway in Egypt.
Although he did not see England's performance against the Czech Republic last night, Graham is encouraged by the continued resurgence of Anderton.
''I am pleased for Darren because he has now played 10 consecutive games for the first time in three years,'' he said. ''It is nice to see him getting games under his belt.
David Ginola is back to full fitness and should return for Spurs at home to Nottingham Forest tomorrow. He was kept on the bench at Arsenal last weekend because of a hamstring injury but has trained all week.
Graham's only absentee from the squad on duty at Highbury is Ramon Vega, who has a knee injury.