Fresh from proclaiming that only the "good looking" wives and girlfriends of Ireland's players would be welcome at Euro 2016, Wee Martin has gone and discharged a round into his other foot by joking that in addition to himself and Roy Keane he took two additional members of staff (including former Leicester and Celtic winger Steve Guppy) to the USA to watch the Superbowl as he didn't want people to think he and Keane "were queers."
He's apologised for the latter remark, though it sounded somewhat forced, but this is really grim stuff. I doubt that Martin O'Neill harbours deeply sexist or homophobic views. But these things don't need to be deeply held for them to do damage and it's a sad reminder of the footballing culture in which he grew up where remarks like those wouldn't have simply been tolerated - they'd have been encouraged. O'Neill's always come across as an intelligent guy, certainly in comparison to most of the players and managers he played the game with, so it's sad that he's come out with this shit regardless of how humorously he meant it.
The strange thing is that - here in Ireland at least - there aren't any public calls for him to be punished or sacked. I remember Glenn Hoddle being forcibly ejected from the England job (Tony Blair even got involved) for the remarks he made about the disabled. But is that because he'd just overseen another English exit from a World Cup and had started the qualification campaign for Euro 2000 poorly with the result that the FA were just looking for an excuse to get rid of him or was it because most English fans were disgusted at what he said?
He's apologised for the latter remark, though it sounded somewhat forced, but this is really grim stuff. I doubt that Martin O'Neill harbours deeply sexist or homophobic views. But these things don't need to be deeply held for them to do damage and it's a sad reminder of the footballing culture in which he grew up where remarks like those wouldn't have simply been tolerated - they'd have been encouraged. O'Neill's always come across as an intelligent guy, certainly in comparison to most of the players and managers he played the game with, so it's sad that he's come out with this shit regardless of how humorously he meant it.
The strange thing is that - here in Ireland at least - there aren't any public calls for him to be punished or sacked. I remember Glenn Hoddle being forcibly ejected from the England job (Tony Blair even got involved) for the remarks he made about the disabled. But is that because he'd just overseen another English exit from a World Cup and had started the qualification campaign for Euro 2000 poorly with the result that the FA were just looking for an excuse to get rid of him or was it because most English fans were disgusted at what he said?
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