The governing body of European football, UEFA, has launched a disciplinary investigation into a video which appeared to show several members of the Irish women’s football team singing a pro-IRA song as they celebrated qualification to next year’s World Cup in Australia and New Zealand.
Ireland qualified for their first-ever women’s World Cup thanks to a 1-0 playoff win against Scotland at Hamden Park on Tuesday.
Shortly after the game, footage appeared on social media of players singing ‘Ooh, ah, up the Ra’, which is a section of the lyrics of a song called ‘Celtic Symphony’ by Irish band The Wolfe Tones.
The phrase is commonly accepted to be in support of the Irish Republican Army (IRA), an offshoot of which, the Provisional IRA, was responsible for a multitude of terrorist attacks throughout a period known as ‘The Troubles’ between 1969 and 1998.
In a brief statement, UEFA announced that it would investigate the incident for “potential inappropriate behavior” from Irish players and staff.
“In accordance with Article 31(4) of the UEFA Disciplinary Regulations, a UEFA Ethics and Disciplinary Inspector will investigate potential inappropriate behavior by players of the Republic of Ireland Women’s team in the aftermath of the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup qualifiers play-off second leg match played against Scotland on 11 October 2022,″ the statement said.
“Information on this matter will be made available in due course.”
Vera Pauw, the Dutch head coach of the Irish team, was quick to issue an apology on behalf of her team on Wednesday.
“We apologize from the bottom of our hearts to anyone who has been offended by the content of the post-match celebrations after we had just qualified for the World Cup,” said Pauw.
“We will review this with the players and remind them of their responsibilities in this regard. I have spoken with players this morning and we are sorry collectively for any hurt caused, there can be no excuse for that.”
Pauw addressed the issue once again at a media event later on Wednesday.
“We were made aware of a clip that has gone viral, out of the dressing room,” she stated.
“From the bottom of our hearts, we are so sorry because there is no excuse for hurting people. It was unnecessary. I have spoken already with several players about it and the one who posted it is devastated, she is crying in her room. She is so, so sorry.
“But there is no excuse for it. If I would have been there, to be honest, I would not have recognized [the song's significance] because I am a foreigner, I don’t know the song, I don’t know what it means.
“But we are a team that is always respectful to everybody, and respect is the first line of my first meeting with the players. That is why I feel so at home in this team because there is always respect for everybody and the fact that this has happened, there is no excuse for it.
“We cannot hurt people. It was part of the moment but that is not an excuse. So it is an educational moment also. We need to take responsibility at any moment, in any time.”