Sinn Féin Deputy First Minister Martin McGuinness has signalled he will shortly attend his first Northern Ireland soccer international after he visited Windsor Park in south Belfast to see Derry City play Linfield.
Mr McGuinness attended the quarter-final of the Setanta Cup on Monday night in the company of Derry Sinn Féin colleague and fellow Assembly member Raymond McCartney, watching Derry snatch a late 1-1 draw with Linfield.
“It was a very pleasant experience to be there and I want to pay tribute to the board of Linfield and everyone associated with the club for the very warm welcome that I received and it’s very clearly a sign of the changing times,” he said yesterday.
Mr McGuinness’s visit to Windsor Park follows First Minister Peter Robinson’s first attendance at a GAA game in late January.
On the prospect of returning to Windsor Park to watch Northern Ireland play, Mr McGuinness said: “I am very warm to attend such a match. I am looking forward to when that will be . . . I have always said I will support any man or woman wearing a green jersey – it’s as simple as that.”
However, he made clear his chief soccer allegiance was to the Republic of Ireland.
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