SOCCER Cassin announces Irish squad for Euro 08 quarter-final exhibition match

Republic of Ireland Cerebral Palsy team manager, Paul Cassin today announced his ten man squad who will travel to Vienna to play in a exhibition match at half time in one of the European Championship Quarter Finals. The game, which will take place in Vienna, Austria on Sunday, 22nd June, is part of UEFA EURO 08 Football for All initiative championed by UEFA President Michel Platini.

Ireland and the Netherlands are among the leading European sides in Cerebral Palsy soccer and are two of just eight nations to have qualified for the 2008 Paralympic Games in Beijing which get underway on September 6th.

The Irish side will be hoping to bounce back after a 3-0 defeat to the Netherlands in a game that was held in Amsterdam in mid May. Cassin’s squad have grown in confidence after beating Scotland 4-0 in Belfast on Sunday 8th June with a brace for both Finbarr O’Riordan and Gary Messett. 

Team manager, Paul Cassin, said, “I consider it a great honour for the Ireland team to be invited by Michel Platini to Vienna for this exhibition game against the Netherlands. The players are really looking forward to playing in the Ernest Happel stadium. They cannot believe they will be playing on the same pitch as the likes of Ronaldo, Ballack, Torres to name a few. It allows the C.P. Development and Junior Squads to aspire to someday be in the same position as their senior counterparts. This game will certainly promote Cerebral Palsy football and will highlight the great work that has gone into the Football for All programme by the FAI.”

He added, “The exhibition will give the players a great lift before we travel to Portugal the week after Vienna for a warm weather training Camp as we continue to build towards the Paralympics in Beijing next August. Only the top 8 teams in the world qualify for the Paralympics so Ireland is very proud to be there.”

Republic of Ireland Cerebral Palsy Squad:

Peter O’Neill               (Cork)     

Aidan Brennan            (Dublin)  

Paul Dollard                (Dublin)

Joe Markey                  (Monaghan)

Gary Messett               (Wicklow)

Finbarr O’Riordan      (Cork) 

Alan O’Hara               (Dublin) 

Kieran Devlin              (Dublin) 

Luke Evans                 (Dublin)  

James Murrihy             (Clare)

For further information or interview requests please contact:

Paul Cassin

Republic of Ireland Cerebral Palsy Team Manager

Phone: 00353 868130341

Email: paul.cassin@welfare.ie

Oisin Jordan

FAI Football for All National Co-Ordinator

Phone: 00353 866079223

Email: oisin.jordan@fai.ie