The Football Association of Ireland (FAI) is yet to appoint a manager for its Republic of Ireland men’s team. However, the Chairman, Jonathan Hill, managed to retained his position on Wednesday despite attempts to remove him. This might have been influenced by the fact that terminating his contract could cost upwards of €500,000, as noted by Gavin Cummiskey.
The ongoing hunt for a fresh manager continues, with an official statement hinting a candidate’s announcement by April 12th. John O’Shea has passionately voiced his ambition for the role, stating his immediate readiness to step in.
Upon the completion of Gus Poyet’s managerial responsibilities in Greece, following their recent unsuccessful attempt to qualify for the Euros, speculation arises as to whether he could be the FAI’s selection. Ciarán Murphy, however, expresses his preference for O’Shea, asserting it would be a risk regardless.
Shifting to rugby, with just four months until the Olympic Games, Jordan Conroy, one of the most seasoned players of the Irish Sevens is setting his sights on a Paris podium finish. Meanwhile, Rónan Kelleher shared his experiences from Ireland’s Six Nations victory and offered insights about Leinster’s upcoming obstacles with Gerry Thornley.
Thornly also conversed with Declan Danaher, Irish women’s team’s new defence coach and former London Irish back rower. Danaher, who served seven seasons working under Declan Kidney as a defence coach, is enjoying this new trajectory in his career.
In the realm of Gaelic games, Paul Keane engages in a conversation with Mickey Harte as the latter is poised to lead Derry into the approaching Sunday league final against Dublin. The team pines to secure their inaugural Division One trophy since 2008. Meanwhile, Ian O’Riordan converses with Cormac Costello about his journey of regaining his position in the Dublin squad following a calf affliction that restricted him to the bench prior to Dublin’s victory over Galway in the penultimate round. Ian states, “Given the exceptional performance of the Dublin forwards in the past Sunday’s game against Tyrone, reassuming his position might be more challenging than usual.”
In the television sports segment, Pádraig Harrington is in the contention for the Houston Open, which kick-starts today (Sky Sports Golf, 12.30pm-11pm). On the heels of its triumphant stopover in Dublin the previous week, the darts’ Premier League is now preparing for its performance in Belfast (Sky Sports Arena, 7pm-11pm). Furthermore, the concluding matches of the women’s Champions League quarter-finals are scheduled for today, with the reigning champions Barcelona heading into their second leg with a 2-1 lead against Brann (TNT Sports 2, 5.45pm), while PSG maintains the same scoreline lead over Häcken from their first leg (TNT Sports 1, 8.0).