Building bridges through football

national | rights, freedoms and repression | news report Wednesday March 29, 2006 12:43 by Garrett Mullan - Show Racism the Red Card info at theredcard dot ie

Managers give their view on the cross border Setanta Cup competition

As the Setanta Cup completes the group stages, some managers speak their mind about this cross border competition.

Northern Ireland manager Lawrie Sanchez said: "Football has the power to build bridges, promote respect and bring communities together. We believe supporters are the lifeblood of the game and that sectarianism and racism should have no place in football or society. The Setanta cup is going some way to building bridges"

uilding bridges through football
As the Setanta Cup completes the group stages, some managers speak their mind about this cross border competition.

Northern Ireland manager Lawrie Sanchez said: "Football has the power to build bridges, promote respect and bring communities together. We believe supporters are the lifeblood of the game and that sectarianism and racism should have no place in football or society. The Setanta cup is going some way to building bridges"

Shelbourne's Pat Fenlon said: "Last years final against Linfield was one of the best attented games we had all season. It showed how attractive a competition people think it is. People want to see big games and any games involving Linfield and Glentoran are inevitably big.

I have fond memories of playing with Linfield in the 1990s. Both Linfield and Glentoran are great clubs and the chance of meeting them is something I have looked forward to".

Derry City played their first competitive fixture against Linfield and Glentoran in 33 years. Manager Stephen Kenny says: "This is a great competition and the way forward for football on this island. Football has moved forward by focusing on competitive games in areas with large populations".

Setanta Cup holders Linfield manager David Jeffrey told us: "Winning the first Setanta Cup was an enormous boost to our club and the cup itself is a fantastic competition and has added an extra dimension to our season. We have been well received at Eircom league clubs and while we can build further bonds we are keen to defend our trophy".