Soccer:The FAI today confirmed the Republic of Ireland will play Brazil in a friendly at Arsenal's Emirates Stadium on Tuesday, March 2nd, subject to final approval from the English FA.
Kentaro, the international sports promoter involved with the fixture, announced the Emirates as the venue for the friendly. Kentaro are expected to announce kick-off time and ticket details next week.
Kentaro, who have staged a number of Brazil matches at the north London venue previously, including matches against Italy, Argentina and Portugal, had been in talks with Arsenal football club for some time while the FAI had been negotiating with the GAA.
Croke Park had been interested in staging the game, and stadium director Peter McKenna expressed his regret that the match was being taken abroad yesterday, but the final decision was Kentaro’s to make.
“I would love for the game to be at Croke Park in Dublin,” explained FAI chief executive John Delaney. “But Kentaro have the European rights for Brazil . . . we’ve been invited to play the game but had no input into where the game was staged.
“It would have been nice to play the game in Croke Park, it would probably have been our last game in Croke Park, but it’s not to be.”
Ireland’s recent games in London, against Colombia and Nigeria, have attracted rather modest crowds but Brazil have filled Arsenal’s 60,000 seat venue on each occasion that they have played there.
Giovanni Trapattoni’s side will also take on Argentina at the new Aviva Stadium (formerly Lansdowne Road) on Wednesday, August 11th.
As reported in The Irish Times this morning, it was also confirmed today that Derry City have been expelled from the remainder of this season’s Setanta Sports Cup.
Derry, thrown out of the League of Ireland Premier Division last year following a financial scandal, had been due to face Linfield and St Patrick’s Athletic to complete the group stage.
Both clubs will be awarded 3-0 walkovers but the existing results involving Derry (1-1 v St. Patrick’s Athletic and 1-1 v Linfield) will stand.
The organisers also confirmed that the fixture between Cork City and Sligo Rovers, which was postponed on November 9th, has been rescheduled for February 22nd at Turner’s Cross with a 7.45pm kick-off.