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Soccer teams' shock after sectarian attack

Thursday, 07 August 2008

POLICE were forced to provide protection for two youth football teams from the Southside of Dublin last week after they were subjected to a sectarian attack during a visit to Northern Ireland.
A 19-year-old man was arrested after stones were thrown and sectarian abuse shouted at the boys and officials from the Crumlin United under-14 team and Cherry Orchard under-16 team who were competing in the annual Milk Cup international youth football tournament.
The children and their minders were staying in a block of flats in Cromore Court, Coleraine but had to be moved to other accommodation after the attack.
The Police Service in Northern Ireland (PSNI) said stones and other missiles were thrown at the teams’ accommodation at about 10.30pm on Monday, July 28. They confirmed last week that a 19-year-old man had been released from custody pending further investigation.
Since its foundation in 1983 the Milk Cup has grown to become one of the most prestigious youth sport tournaments in the world.
Paul Hammond, the manager of the Crumlin United under 14 team, said boys and staff from the club were subjected to sectarian abuse. He described how the youngsters became afraid after thugs started throwing missiles at them.
“We were outside the forecourts of the houses we were staying in when a gang of lads came up the road and started singing anti Irish songs and shouting f**k off Irish Fenian bastards’,” Mr Hammond said.
Trouble
“Then one of them came up with a scarf tied around his head and started trying to cause trouble with our physio. We were warned that they would make a phone call and we would be ‘sorted out’.
“They went off but when we went back inside they started throwing stones, bottles and cans at the front of the building,” he added. “We told all the kids to go to the back of the house and avoid the windows. About two or three minutes later they started stoning the back of the house and a window was broken.
“The boys were obviously afraid and you could see in them that they were pretty shook by it.”
The PSNI later assured him they would provide a police presence in any areas the teams planned to visit.
“We are in contact with the police and if we are doing any other activities outside of football, the police will have a presence in the area where we are,” Mr Hammond said.
Jim Sandford, who is on the organising committee of the Milk Cup, said the attack had damaged the image his association was trying to promote of Northern Ireland.
“I have been involved in the Milk Cup for 23 years and I have never seen anything like this,” he said. “We came through some dreadful periods of history up here and the tournament has usually been affected by difficulties associated with the marching season, but this is the first time I have seen something like this.
“Our responsibility is not only to the kids in the republic,” he added. “We have over 950 kids in the tournament so we have to ensure that they have a safe time here and that they go away thinking Northern Ireland is not a bad place after all.
“The young thugs last night have made it more difficult to get that message across.”
In condemning the attack Sports Against Racism Ireland said that since its foundation the Milk Cup tournament had provided “a safe and secure location for young people from these islands to compete in a harmonious atmosphere with youth from all continents, regardless of ethnicity, culture, colour and religion”.
“Sectarianism flies in the face of the philosophy of the founding group which included the great football son of Coleraine, the Glasgow Celtic and Northern Ireland international, Bertie Peacock, who believed that football would win against bigotry and hatred,” they added in a statement.

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