In comparison to the accusations of financial mismanagement and gender inequality being levelled at Canada Soccer by its own players, the FAI is on firm ground.
The Olympic champions, who face the Republic of Ireland in the World Cup pool stages, had strike action averted this week due to a punitive legal threat. Instead, a protest is expected when Canadian and American players take the field in Orlando this Thursday for the She Believes Cup.
Resistance to Canada Soccer’s cost-cutting under chief executive Nick Bontis can go one of two ways. If the players’ collective grievances are addressed, Ireland might suffer a backlash in Perth on July 26th, or Canada could implode.
Revolt
Either way, Irish football has skin in this game.
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“These players are Olympic gold medal winners so if they don’t feel like they have the power to push change and to ask for more, where does that leave any other international team?” asks Manchester United defender Aoife Mannion. “I think every player will be looking at them with a level of inspiration and fingers crossed that they get the level of respect and open conversations that they deserve.”
The Canadian players, male and female, have been in open revolt against their governing body for over a year. When the women’s squad refused to train last week, it created a similar standoff to the Liberty Hall press conference in 2017 when the Irish women’s squad sought the most basic assistance.
“I used to live with one of the girls on the Canada national team, Janine Beckie,” says Mannion. “And she is one of the faces that is really driving this movement forward. My view is, power to the players of the Canadian national team, using their voice collectively to try and push and drive for change.”
It being a World Cup year, players have the leverage to right wrongs or they can follow Arséne Wenger’s suggested policy in Qatar of staying quiet and focusing on football.
“Everything that needs to get highlighted should get highlighted,” Mannion continues. “Often it is about the timing and the way in which it is done. In this case, with the Canadian women’s national team, they have made a collective stance.
“My personal view is that, generally, to push for change in a systematic nature it takes a whole group of players to stand behind something and push that forward. It is quite powerful actually when you see a team decide to take a stance like that.”
In sharp contrast to Canada, the FAI charts a steady course Down Under, even managing to avoid sustained criticism for failing to showcase their women’s team at the Aviva Stadium in June or July due to “pitch redevelopment work” that will ensure a smooth surface for men’s rugby and American Football in August.
Unperturbed, Ireland manager Vera Pauw aims to strengthen her squad by adding Mannion and Washington Spirit midfielder Marissa Sheva, who both qualify via strong family ties.
“I had an Irish passport before I had an English one,” says Mannion. “My mum is from Gortjordan, just outside Kilmaine in Mayo and my dad is from Tymon, just outside Athenry.”
Any doubts about Mannion’s Irishness were dismissed after revealing that her uncle is former Mayo footballer Pat Kelly. There is Galway hurling blood on her father’s side and like so many second-generation exiles, she was exposed early and often to Irish dancing and the Warwickshire arm of the GAA.
West midlands born and bred, she took the opposite career path to primary school pal Jack Grealish, even making Phil Neville’s senior England bench in 2019. Never capped, more because of two ACL injuries than her ability, the 27-year-old has a chance to wear the green shirt against China on February 22nd in Cadiz, Spain.
“When I got the call-up last week, I don’t think I’ve ever seen my parents so proud of anything I’ve done. I’ve been around football for a while and involved in a few things but if they died tomorrow they’d be happy. That’s how excited they are.”
Opportunity
The true initiation for Mannion came on arrival into training camp in Marbella.
“I got into the room last night, [Amber Barrett] says, ‘Hello, how are you doing?’ and then she’s like, ‘What you doing here? Why are you here? What’s your intention? Where has this come from?’ and obviously I just answered the same way as I’ve answered to you.”
Unable to shift Maya Le Tissier and Millie Turner from United’s defence, as the club pushes towards a first WSL title, Mannion has a small window to profit from Savannah McCarthy’s ACL recovery and Diane Caldwell’s lack of game time at Reading.
“My trade is being a front-footed, one-v-one defender when we’ve not got the ball. And then when we do have the ball I like to play out, create the attack with midfielders. I’m looking for the right passes, making connections with my team-mates on the pitch.
“I can’t tell what I can bring in relation to other players on the team, but all I can tell you is that’s who I am. When you look at me on the pitch, that’s the sort of player you can expect. Whether that’s enough for a manager to want to pick me, that will be up to Vera but that’s what I’m going to do.”
