“If we qualify we’ll do it because we’ve won a match and qualified from our group.”
So says Stewart ‘stating the obvious’ Regan, the Chief Executive of the Scottish Football Association, in a press conference which featured a number of thinly veiled digs at John Delaney.
The head of the FAI has been under fire following his revelation last week that he managed to get a €5 million payment from FIFA following the Thierry Henry hand ball fiasco in 2009.
When asked about the situation on Tuesday, Regan said: “I’ve always worked on the assumption that if you haven’t got anything positive to say, you keep your mouth shut.”
“The issue is one for the FAI. It’s not one I want to comment on. I think they will be reflecting long and hard on the events of the last week.”
Reagan went on to effectively belittle the FAI’s claim to compensation following the handball row, saying: “If every team ever had a concern over a decision and tried to make a claim on the back of it, there would be a queue down the steps from Hampden down to Aitkenhead Road.”
“We are going to abide by the rules, the laws of the game and the statutes of FIFA and UEFA and if we qualify we’ll do it because we’ve won a match and qualified from our group.”
There’s beef between Delaney and Reagan, stemming back to last October’s game between the nations at Celtic Park. Delaney was worried that Irish fans could end up amongst Scottish fans, seeking more than the 3,200 tickets made available for travelling fans.
Following the disagreement between the associations, Delaney said: “In my 10 years as chief executive, no association has treated us as badly as the Scottish have done on this particular occasion.”
Reagan, judging by his comments, still has issue with the FAI chief’s remarks.
“Back in November when we played Ireland the words, ‘tension’ and ‘safety’ were used [by Delaney]. That was a bit disappointing at the time and as we fully expected there was no issues at Celtic Park.”
Reagan also has no safety concerns for Saturday’s game between the nations.
“We’ve got around 3,500 tickets for the game in Dublin. I’m sure there will be a lot more fans in the stadium than that, I’m sure they will get on perfectly well with their Irish colleagues and I’m sure they’ll have a great night.”
H/T The Irish Times.
