Newly unsealed documents from the Irish National Archives reveal a 2002 meeting where Tony Blair, then Prime Minister, suggested that Irish nationalists in Northern Ireland could support England in the World Cup after Ireland was eliminated. The revelation comes from a briefing document detailing the meeting with SDLP leader Mark Durkan and Northern Ireland Secretary of State John Reid. Blair's suggestion was met with a non-committal response from Durkan, leaving the former Prime Minister 'crestfallen'.
Tony Blair once suggested that nationalists in Northern Ireland could support England in the World Cup after Ireland was knocked out, according to reports on a 2002 meeting.
The next day, Mr Blair attended a meeting with SDLP leader Mark Durkan and Northern Ireland Secretary of State John Reid to discuss policing and a recent Criminal Justice Bill. Other SDLP representatives at the meeting later relayed to Irish officials that the prime minister appeared disengaged and tired.
On entering the room, Mr Blair is said to have commiserated on Ireland’s defeat and “offered, apparently genuinely, that the SDLP were now supporting England”. Ireland’s 2002 World Cup campaign was otherwise marred by controversy, after captain Roy Keane pulled out in protest following a public row with manager Mick McCarthy over a range of issues including training conditions in Saipan. The newly released documents also contained details on another moment in which the prime minister was left red-faced.
Tony Blair Northern Ireland World Cup Ireland Politics
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