As the latest round of the Euro 2012 qualifiers resume this weekend, Nigel Worthington, the Northern Ireland manager is likely pulling his admirable head of hair out. The Guardian is reporting that Shane Ferguson, the promising Newcastle left back and NI international, has made himself unavailable to be contacted by his manager prompting fears of the continued flow of talented, young players switching allegiances from the IFA to represent the FAI at senior level. As I’m sure many readers of this website have at least a passing interest in Irish football, fresh talent and competition at a position Kevin Kilbane had on lock for nearly 15 years should have you rubbing your grubby paws.

Able to perform comfortably at left back or left wing, the 20 year old Derry man unquestionably has a bright future; a status confirmed by his cool approach to replacing the injured Jose Enrique at St James Park for an extended spell last season. With Enrique now plying his trade at Anfield, one would feel regular first team opportunities should be in the not so distant future under Alan Pardew. Although Ferguson has one cap for Northern Ireland, the game in question was a friendly, thereby still allowing for a switch to the FAI until he is capped in a competitive fixture. While two recent performances for the NI under 21s abated many supporters’ fears, the timing of this incident is unquestionably suspect as Ferguson playing in this week’s fixtures against either Estonia or Italy would prevent any further switching of allegiances. It has been widely suggested that a poor personal relationship between the player and Worthington’s is the catalyst of this confusion, however, supporters could feel justifiably worried.

Six Northern Irish born players in the last three years have quit the IFA in order to represent the FAI. This is a figure which has understandably rocked their organising body, who have spent thousands of pounds developing these players at various youth levels for their entire careers. So far Darron Gibson, Shane Duffy, Marc Wilson, Daniel Kearns, Paul George and James McClean have all taken advantage of a FIFA ruling which, because of the Good Friday Agreement, allows players born in Northern Ireland to play for the Republic providing they hold an Irish passport. Preston North End youngster Adam Barton has also recently switched to the Republic’s U21 set up with an expected switch to the senior side should the Championship player fulfill his considerable potential. With an aging core and 9 points from 8 games in what has been a very dissapointing Euro 2012 qualification, Northern Irish football is not in a positon to be leaking potential, a fact not lost on the IFA.

There are numerous reasons for the raft of switches, and naturally each case is personal and entirely unique. What is not up for debate is the benefit the injection of young talent will have on the FAI. Arguably the most prominent reason is a desire to play for the country of which you consider to be your nationality. The Fifa ruling centers around this aspect and I can imagine has been a massive factor for a few of the aforementioned players, however, other motivations clearly have been a factor. The Republic of Ireland sit 21st in the Fifa World Ranking, a significant leap from the 70th position currently occupied by Northern Ireland. While this might not be the most admirable reason, the heightened chance of reaching major tournaments is surely a major draw. Another, darker reason is the bigotry that has unfortunately shaded the game in Northern Ireland. Aside from my lack of knowledge, this is a sports blog and not a political one so I won’t delve too far here, but the treatment notoriously received by Neil Lennon when he was team captain must surely figure in the minds of young footballers considering their future.

Regardless of reasoning, the prospect of a young, premiership talent entering the fold in a problem position is music to my ears. By the time you’ve read this blog you might already know that Ferguson didn’t answer Worthington’s call simply because he’d just lost his mobile, couldn’t be arsed, or was out on the session, but either way, a worrying trend for the IFA continues to put smiles on faces at the FAI headquarters in Abbotstown. An appearance at Euro 2012 would only provide further food for thought for footballers sitting on this fence, so best of luck to Trappatoni and co for their part in what is the most important week in Irish sport for quite some time.

A Dark Day

Between the Rugby World Cup, the Us Open, and the return of football to our televisions, my head is spinning with the sheer volume of quality sport that’s currently on offer around the globe. The deluge of media coverage is impossible to avoid, however, amongst the meaningless rugby predictions from so called experts, and childish forum bickering about just how useless Andy Carroll may or may not turn out to be, passed one of sport’s greatest tragedies. As many of you may have read, on September 7th a renovated cargo plane carrying Lokomotiv Yaroslavl, one of Russia’s most successful ice hockey clubs, crashed, and with it perished 43 lives. While so many of us speak and think so passionately about sport, the demise of this tragic club deserves the reflection of a community that far exceeds the sporting world.

En route to Minsk for the team’s KHL ( Russia’s professional hockey league) season opener, the team plane, a notoriously dodgy Yak-42, is alleged to have struck a radio mast and plummeted in to the murky waters of the Volga river, extinguishing the ball of fire the plane had become. Two survivors aside, 36 Lokomotiv players and staff as well as 7 crew members lost their lives in what was an indescribable tragedy and undoubtedly hockey’s darkest day. While the club and the players’ names will of course be foreign to the casual Irish sports fan, one needs only look to the poignancy and sadness still attached to Manchester United’s fateful Munich disaster in 1958 to grasp the scale of this painful turn of events. While the suggestion that one disaster is worse than the other is crass and distasteful, the comparison of these two events is inevitable, so imagine for a second United supporters woke up one morning to discover that the club they adored was wiped from the map, the players that provided them with so much joy and anguish no longer for this world.

Situated 250 kilometers north of Moscow, Yaroslavl is an isolated city whose inhabitants derive great pride from Lokomotiv; a constant source of conversation and emotion. Labourers, Professionals, and Students all held the team as a cohesive and mutual love. Although the loss of any life is tragic, Lokomotiv was considered the pulsing heart of this Russian outpost; a heart that has been snatched clean out. Although I’ve yet to see a confirmed report, the mother of 21 year old player Sergei Ostapchuk is said to have suffered a fatal heart attack when informed of her son’s terrible fate. It’s impossible to comprehend the widespread mourning of the victims’ family and friends, however, her demise serves well to portray the resounding hurt and sadness that has rumbled through loved ones, the club’s supporters, the sporting community, and Russia.

Counted amongst the victims are veterans who played at the highest level for club and nation, as well as youth prospects who’s potential will never be fulfilled; Russians, Belarusians and Canadians were amongst the tapestry of nationalities that made up the squad and coaching staff.

Perhaps the most tragic aspect of this story is the necessary flaws that were willfully ignored, and are ultimately to blame. Professional hockey in Russia is a far cry from the luxurious lifestyle lead by athletes playing in sports leagues throughout Europe and North America. While the biggest football clubs in England, Spain, and Italy charter their own private jets, players in the KHL risk their lives every time they have an away fixture. The aforementioned Yak-42 which was carrying the team is considered one of the worlds least safe aviation vehicles, however, it was allowed to fly by Russian Authorities who have in 2011 alone witnessed eight fatal crashes within the country’s borders. No sport is worth the continual gambling of lives; if your club can’t afford to safely transport their staff to and from matches, it’s time to shut up shop. Hockey is wildly popular in Russia, and the decision to save a few extra rubles on transport was born out of greed and disregard for the players who lined the club’s owner’s pockets. Hopefully this incident will serve as a wake up call to the authorities and chairmen overseeing these matters, because the greatest tragedy of all would be to see the death of these players serve no purpose at all.

While drastic changes are needed with immediate effect, it is difficult to wade through the desolation and imagine a future for this club with 62 years of history. How do you begin to salvage spirit from such devastation? The official word from the Russian hockey federation is that they “will do their best to ensure that hockey in Yaroslavl does not die, and that it continues to live for the people that were on that plane.” While in time the community will recover and forge ahead, hockey in Yaroslavl will always carry the burden of this horrific tragedy; however, sport unquestionably can serve as a catalyst for healing, an outcome as sports fans we should all be rooting for.