Ireland's best-known Manchester United supporter has pledged his continued loyalty to the club, despite his misgivings at its takeover by Rupert Murdoch's BSkyB.
As fans everywhere grappled with the implications of the £625 million sterling deal, the Taoiseach said yesterday he was "not that happy about it". But in an undertaking unlikely to be matched by United's replica-shirt sales department, Mr Ahern insisted he would not be changing his colours.
Speaking on Today FM's Last Word programme, he promised legislation to protect major sporting events here, like the All-Ireland series, from the threat of pay-per-view television.
"I can do nothing about what happens in the laws in UK or Manchester, but it makes me more determined to advance legislation we are working on to bring forward the protection of our own sporting events," he said. "I can do something about that and I will."
Meanwhile, in what critics would have hoped was divine retribution, United fell behind in last night's league match against humble Charlton Athletic, but recovered for a facile 4-1 win. Expected protests from supporters were muted, and the club's share price finished the day 15.5p up.
The Taoiseach's opposition to pay-per-view does not extend to his own attendance at United games where, according to Government sources, he "pays for his own tickets". He has even used his support of the club to advance the peace process.
His hour-long meeting with Tony Blair before the away game against Newcastle last Christmas set the Easter deadline for the Northern talks. A spokesman said: "There was a vacuum developing in the process, and the two men agreed something had to be done. It was at that meeting they decided to give it one huge push."
United's push for the title was noticeably less successful, and Mr Ahern must have noticed the vacuum developing in their midfield in the absence of Roy Keane.
Labour's spokesman on broadcasting, Mr Michael D Higgins, called the takeover "a fundamental attack on cultural rights".
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