Beggars Can’t Be Choosers
President of the Irish Football Association Raymond Kennedy has indicated his preference for a new build stadium to be built as part of Ormeau Park.
With question marks over both the Maze plans and the future use of Windsor Park for international football, Kennedy said that the Irish FA would go along with any of the Belfast plans. His comments have been seen by some as a rebuke to the IFA’s Cheif Executive, Howard Wells, who has consistently backed the Maze plans and is rumoured to be seeking employment elsewhere.
“Beggars can’t be choosers. I want a stadium to play football matches and I want them in Northern Ireland, not anywhere else.
Belfast City Council have come up with five sites and I would take any one of them.”
Raymond Kennedy, Irish FA President
He also said that the Irish FA will be meeting with Linfield football club and the government to discuss the disputed contract that, on the surface, seems to tie the Irish FA to playing international football matches at Windsor Park for another 80 years.
“We have to look at where we are going to play our games in the short-term and that has to be a refurbishment at Windsor Park.
We’ll be meeting the government shortly and if that short-term agreement with them comes to pass then maybe we’ll look at a long-term solution.
I know Linfield have plans for a longer term solution - I don’t know whether we can buy into that or not.”
Raymond Kennedy, Irish FA President