Cassin announces squad for EURO 08 Quarter Final Exhibition match
June 9th, 2008. In: Soccer9th June 2008
Cassin announces 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: 0868130341
Email: paul.cassin@welfare.com or paul.cassin@cpsi.ie
Oisin Jordan
FAI Football for All National Co-Ordinator
Phone: 00353 866079223
Email: oisin.jordan@fai.ie
Lynne D’Arcy
Communications Executive
Football Association of Ireland
National Sports Campus
Abbotstown
Dublin 15
Ph: + 353 1-8999578
Fax: + 353 1-8999501
Mobile: +353 87 7691580
Email: lynne.darcy@fai.ie