SOCCER:A CLEARLY emotional Kevin Foley last night accused Giovanni Trapattoni of betrayal over the manner in which he was omitted from the final squad of 23 for the European Championship finals.
The player said he was told last week that he was under no pressure to train ahead of Ireland’s friendly with Bosnia Herzegovina on Saturday, but now feels that his failure to do so has cost him the chance of going to Poland.
As the Italian insisted in his own press conference a few metres away that the player would be welcome to travel to the tournament with the squad, the 27-year-old refused to discuss his long-term future with Ireland, insisting that the events of the day, and week, had been “a lot to take in”.
“It’s hard to take,” he said shortly after the end of last night’s game. “I feel sort of betrayed and I said that to him [Trapattoni]. I don’t want to go into too much detail. I just feel betrayed. I have to look forward and go back to see my family and that’s it.
“I wanted to prove a point [tonight] – that I was fit to play. Because from what I understood I could have trained last week, Thursday, Friday and been involved in the game.
“He said there was no rush and we will wait to train in Italy. So I felt great for two days in Italy and then all of a sudden he pulls me this morning and says: ‘you are not in the squad’ and that is hard to take.
“I have done everything I can but I was under the illusion that I’d time to train in Italy, play tonight and be in the squad.”
Trapattoni, meanwhile, insisted that yesterday’s conversation at training had been difficult for both men, with the Italian also appearing to become emotional as he talked about it.
He repeatedly suggested that Foley’s apparent lack of fitness last week had been a factor in the decision and insisted that the team medical staff had said the Wolves defender was not ready to play at the Aviva stadium on Saturday.
“It is difficult, not just for him but me also,” said the veteran coach who compared the situation to his decision, due to injury, to omit Roberto Baggio from his Italy squad for the 2002 World Cup.
“We had problems with John O’Shea, Richard Dunne, Seán St Ledger and Darren O’Dea; all of the central defenders had problems and we could not be sure that they would be 100 per cent. And so we needed another central defender in case some were injured or got red or yellow cards.
“It was a very difficult decision to make. Marco and I thought about it for a very long time and I am sorry for Kevin but in the end I have a duty both to the team and the country.”
As Foley, understandably distressed, spoke of his sense of betrayal after his eleventh hour exclusion, the man who made a late burst to claim the last place spoke of his own mixed feelings.
“It’s hard,” sighed Paul McShane. “I’m not buzzing to be in the squad because I see Kevin and he is a good friend of mine. It is the nature of football really. It is tough to take and I’m not going to be jumping around.
“I always got on well with Kevin. I found out at about half eleven today. It was short and sweet. I am happy but disappointed at the same time because I know how it feels to be in that position. But he will come back.”
The post-match comments by Foley and Trapattoni utterly overshadowed the actual training game which Ireland won 5-0, thanks to two goals from Robbie Keane and one from Simon Cox before the break and one each from Shane Long and Jonathan Walters after it.
Foley made the last, five minutes from time, when his curling free was parried into the path of the striker.
TUSCAN XI 0 REPUBLIC OF IRELAND 5
TUSCAN XI: Gaffino; Di Stefano, Calanchi, Settepassi, Lotti; Cortese, Cerri, Ceciarini; Pieroni; Colombo, Taddeucci.
REPUBLIC OF IRELAND: Westwood (Sunderland); McShane (Hull City), Dunne (Aston Villa), St Ledger (Leicester City), Kelly (Fulham); Hunt (Wolves), Green (Derby County), Andrews (West Brom), McClean (Sunderland); Cox (West Brom), Keane (LA Galaxy). Subs: Foley (Wolves) for Dunne, Long (West Brom) for McClean, Walters (Stoke City) for Keane, Forde (Millwall) for Westwood (all half-time), Gibson (Everton) for Andrews Ward (Wolves) for St Ledger (72 mins).
Referee: Mico Mangiolandi (Pistoia)
Soccer: page 3
