Ireland showed their players anti-English video before their game at Wembley
EXCLUSIVE: Republic of Ireland boss Stephen Kenny showed his players an anti-English video before their 3-0 defeat at Wembley
- Sources told Sportsmail members of the Irish squad were stunned by the video
- Others have described the video as more ‘pro Ireland’ than ‘anti-English’
- England ended up defeating the Republic of Ireland 3-0 on November 12
Republic of Ireland Football Association are investigating claims manager Stephen Kenny showed his players what has been described to Sportsmail as an ‘anti-English’ video ahead of the clash against Gareth Southgate’s men.
Numerous sources have told Sportsmail that some members of the Irish squad were left stunned after they were shown a video depicting the history of Anglo-Irish relations before last Thursday’s friendly at Wembley in what is said to have been an attempt to motivate his squad ahead of the game.
Previous Ireland managers have used the fractious historic relationship between the two countries to varying degrees to stoke the players ahead of matches against England.
Republic of Ireland boss Stephen Kenny reportedly showed players an ‘anti-England’ video before his team played Gareth Southgate’s men at Wembley on November 12
Republic of Ireland lost the match against England 3-0 and some members of the squad felt that Kenny’s attempts to motivate the squad ended up overstepping the mark
But last week’s attempts certainly took some by surprise and appears to, in the mind of certain individuals, overstepped the mark of political correctness – particularly given a number of players also have English roots.
One source described the video as ‘close to the line’.
Others, however, have described the video as more ‘pro Ireland’ than ‘anti-English’ and merely an attempt to reinforce the team’s heritage.
Kenny’s men went on to lose the game 3-0.
The video is said to have been shown to player during a team meeting before the game.
Kenny saw his side go down 3-0 amid a tricky start to his career as manager of the Republic
Some players and staff are understood to have privately complained about the video, which is said to have portrayed key moments in the history of English and Irish relations.
The FAI said: ‘The Football Association of Ireland is aware of issues surrounding content shared with our senior men’s team ahead of the recent friendly against England at Wembley Stadium.
‘The FAI is already looking into this matter internally as a matter of urgency to establish the facts. The FAI has no further comment to make at this time.’
