Ireland face a long, hard road to finals

Mick McCarthy was contemplating some difficult challenges, while the FAI were left to contemplate the prospect of failing to match projected budgets, after the draw for the Euro 2000 championship at Ghent yesterday.

A mini Balkans championship with an Irish flavour, is one description of the five-nation Group 8, which some would regard as among the most treacherous of all.

Apart from Yugoslavia, it includes two of the newly established Republics of Croatia and Macedonia. Add in the fact that the fifth team in the group, Malta has a Yugoslav coach, Josip Ilic, and the Balkan influence becomes even more pronounced.

Thankfully, the FAI avoided, if only just, the dreaded security scenario of hosting a game against England. That nightmare has now been visited on the Balkans with the two meetings of Yugoslavia and Croatia, in particular, laden with hazard.

Given the fact that Yugoslavia and Croatia are both on their way to the World Cup finals in France this summer and that only one team is certain to qualify from the group, McCarthy faces a huge challenge to deliver the results which will guarantee him another term in the post of national manager.

It is, at best, a good footballing draw with the visit of Yugoslavia and Croatia offering the Irish public an opportunity of watching two of Europe's more accomplished teams in action. But power on the pitch, doesn't always add up to brisk business at the turnstiles and the point was not lost on the three FAI officials, Pat Quigley, Michael Hyland and Bernard O'Byrne in attendance at yesterday's televised draw.

Television is now the big paymaster of international sport but, unfortunately, Balkan teams are numbered among those with last appeal for television companies. To that extent, the FAI will have difficulties in selling the rights of their games to outside broadcasters and Bernard O'Byrne, the Association's chief executive, was quick to acknowledge the point.

"It's a great draw for people who go to games to watch the best teams play but a doubtful one in terms of television rights. As it stands, there is not a great deal of financial opportunities in the group but hopefully, this can be turned into a plus and it will inspire us to play well enough to reach the finals."

McCarthy put a different emphasis on the same conundrum. "It's true that Yugoslavia and Croatia don't have the charisma of countries like Germany, Italy or Spain but the results show that when they turn it on, they can be every bit as good. That doesn't equate with selling tickets but football people will know what I mean when I say that they know their game."

"I remember saying before the draw for the World Cup play-offs that I didn't want either Yugoslavia or Croatia. We avoided them on that occasion but I suppose you cannot hope to be always lucky.

"Within seconds of the draw finishing, some people were saying that we were the outsiders looking in on a Balkan party. Well I love being a party pooper and I have a hunch that we may be spoiling a dream or two, in this area over the next 18 months."

"It's funny that when I was out to dinner with the other managers on Saturday evening, Slobodan Santrac, the Yugoslav manager, invited me along to watch their preparations for the World Cup finals. I'm just wondering if that invitation still stands after this draw."

McCarthy added: "For a variety of reasons, I was hoping that we would get into a six-country group. But when I discovered that Azerbaijan were one of the bottom seeds still floating at an advanced stage of the draw and we were in danger of pulling them, I soon changed my mind."

The suspicion among some, is that if it comes down to a tight scrap for qualification in the last series of games, blood, even bad blood, will be thicker than water. To that extent, yesterday's grouping may well be shown to hold a dark element of intrigue as the drama unfolds in the qualifying series, opening in September.

McCarthy, a mature observer of these matters, prefers to be positive: "I think the games involving Yugoslavia, Croatia and Macedonia will be like local derbies - rather like us being drawn in the same group as Northern Ireland and Wales. These matches are going to be very competitive and hopefully, that will work to our advantage."

Santrac said: "Our players and those from Croatia and Macedonia are from the same school; they know each other better than any others in the world. Many of these players are with clubs outside Yugoslavia and they are very friendly.

"Frankly, we don't know much about the Republic of Ireland. They play a different kind of football to us but that doesn't mean they are better than us. I believe we will qualify for the finals."

Miroslav Blazevic, a controversial name in European football who is now in his second term as manager of Croatia, said: "It's a very open group with each team holding a chance of qualifying for the finals. I think it's going to be very interesting."

Malta were one of the few countries not represented at yesterday's television spectacular in which Johan Cruyff and Paul Van Himst, one of the enduring names of Belgian football, filled important roles. But Macedonia's Djoko Hadzievski, a name Irish people got to know well in the last World Cup series, was in typical upbeat mood.

"We know all that is to be known about the other teams in the group and that gives us an advantage. There are two excellent teams in the group but I genuinely believe that we can pull off an upset."

It was Macedonia, of course, who wrecked Ireland's hopes of qualifying for France '98 this summer when, helped by two penalties, they came from behind to win 3-2 in Skopje last April. Ever since, the thought of revenge has never been far from Irish minds and Pat Quigley, the FAI President, echoed the feelings of many when he said: "Macedonia helped put us out of the World Cup but now we can use them as a stepping stone to reach the finals of the European championship. I believe we are going to see some great games before our group is decided and with luck, it will work out well for Ireland."

Ironically, Ireland were on line to assist in Yugoslavia's preparations for the World Cup finals until FAI officials had a change of heart and agreed to meet the financial guarantees demanded by Argentina to fill the vacant date at Lansdowne Road on April 22nd.

Their first appearance in Dublin in 1955 at the summit of President Tito's unpopularity, provoked a huge reaction with the Catholic Archbishop of Dublin, the late Dr J C McQuaid advising catholics to boycott the game. Some members of the old Radio Eireann staff took that exhortation on board and refused to co-operate in the broadcasting of the game but, despite the adverse publicity, a crowd of more than 22,000 turned up to see the Yugoslavs win 4-1.

The only other meeting of the countries was also in Dublin, in the run up to the 1988 European championship finals in Germany when goals from Mick McCarthy and Kevin Moran gave Ireland a 2-0 victory at Lansdowne Road. A 2-2 draw with Croatia at Lansdowne Road in May 1995 was notable only for the fact that Niall Quinn's late equaliser enabled Ireland to avoid a record sixth consecutive defeat.