The decision by this band of profiteers to fire Joanna Byrne TD as joint chairperson of the club is odious. She was a Drog long before Trivela showed any interest. She will be a Drog long after Trivela have departed for more profitable climes. Passion keeps her with the club, profit keeps Trivela.
For those who wish to swallow the politics of illusion that Trivela rather than Joanna Byrne has the best interests of the club and community at heart, the acerbic observation by John Maynard Keynes might serve as a wake-up call: Capitalism is the extraordinary belief that the nastiest of men, for the nastiest of reasons, will somehow work for the benefit of us all.
Joanna Byrne is an elected Sinn Fein TD. She is also her party's spokesperson on sports. The public who elect her fully expect her to speak on the crucial issues of our time, one of which is the genocide in Gaza which matters greatly to the Irish public. So much in fact that we have Israeli ministers telling the people they torment in Gaza that they can always move to Ireland. The public might not all, or always, agree with Joanna Byrne but would have every reason to feel shortchanged if she failed to use her voice for the purpose of enhancing public understanding.
Some Drogheda United fans have taken the view that a line should be drawn under the matter and that it is time to move on for the good of the club. I don't share that sentiment anymore than I share a similar sentiment that GAA fans should just move on for the good of the Association, quietly acquiescent in the GAA leadership's partnership with Allianz despite the latter's sordid financial association with the genocidal regime in Israel. I would prefer to see a campaign initiated which, if successful, would lead to the reinstatement of Joanna Byrne as joint chairperson. At the very least it would give voice to a sentiment that publicly disapproves of what Trivela has done, a simple reassertion of the principle Not In Our Name. Despite wishing the club well, being a season ticket holder, I certainly do not want to be on the same side as Trivela. Investment is important for the club's future but like the boycott of Israeli goods, there is the option of shopping around.
The tepid contention that sport and politics don't mix and should be kept separate has raised its head in some quarters; that politics should be left at the turnstile of Sullivan and Lambe Park. How hollow is that? Every home game we attend at Sullivan and Lambe we hear a political-cum-ideological statement issued. It informs spectators that discrimination and bigotry will not be tolerated and lists the type of bigotry that is banned from the stadium including targeting people on the grounds of their race, sex or religion. Moreover, there has been a considerable amount of political energy expended in lobbying Trivela to invest in the development of Drogheda United. So it is a myth that there are no politics in and around Drogheda United. Politics and sport might run on separate tracks but the history of both shows beyond doubt that they often merge. There is a term for it: Sports diplomacy. Think of the history of the Olympic Games. As a powerful cultural tool, sport is one of the ways in which cultural power is brought to bear on a range of issues, for good or bad.
If those who genuinely believe that sports and politics should at all times be separate, the very least they could do is pull Trivela up for bringing its sporting business into politics. Joanna Byrne was not wearing her Drogheda United chairperson hat when she called on the FAI to fulfil a humanitarian obligation. She was speaking in her capacity as an elected TD and party spokesperson on sport. She had a greater right to speak than Trivela had to muzzle her. Had Joanna Byrne made a statement calling for the upcoming match between Ireland and Israel to go ahead, she would never have been thrown under the bus by Trivela. She was not fired for speaking but for what she said.
It would be a sad day for Drogheda United fans if when faced with a choice between Joanna Byrne and Trivela, they shouted Give Us Barabbas
Joanna Byrne is an elected Sinn Fein TD. She is also her party's spokesperson on sports. The public who elect her fully expect her to speak on the crucial issues of our time, one of which is the genocide in Gaza which matters greatly to the Irish public. So much in fact that we have Israeli ministers telling the people they torment in Gaza that they can always move to Ireland. The public might not all, or always, agree with Joanna Byrne but would have every reason to feel shortchanged if she failed to use her voice for the purpose of enhancing public understanding.
Some Drogheda United fans have taken the view that a line should be drawn under the matter and that it is time to move on for the good of the club. I don't share that sentiment anymore than I share a similar sentiment that GAA fans should just move on for the good of the Association, quietly acquiescent in the GAA leadership's partnership with Allianz despite the latter's sordid financial association with the genocidal regime in Israel. I would prefer to see a campaign initiated which, if successful, would lead to the reinstatement of Joanna Byrne as joint chairperson. At the very least it would give voice to a sentiment that publicly disapproves of what Trivela has done, a simple reassertion of the principle Not In Our Name. Despite wishing the club well, being a season ticket holder, I certainly do not want to be on the same side as Trivela. Investment is important for the club's future but like the boycott of Israeli goods, there is the option of shopping around.
The tepid contention that sport and politics don't mix and should be kept separate has raised its head in some quarters; that politics should be left at the turnstile of Sullivan and Lambe Park. How hollow is that? Every home game we attend at Sullivan and Lambe we hear a political-cum-ideological statement issued. It informs spectators that discrimination and bigotry will not be tolerated and lists the type of bigotry that is banned from the stadium including targeting people on the grounds of their race, sex or religion. Moreover, there has been a considerable amount of political energy expended in lobbying Trivela to invest in the development of Drogheda United. So it is a myth that there are no politics in and around Drogheda United. Politics and sport might run on separate tracks but the history of both shows beyond doubt that they often merge. There is a term for it: Sports diplomacy. Think of the history of the Olympic Games. As a powerful cultural tool, sport is one of the ways in which cultural power is brought to bear on a range of issues, for good or bad.
If those who genuinely believe that sports and politics should at all times be separate, the very least they could do is pull Trivela up for bringing its sporting business into politics. Joanna Byrne was not wearing her Drogheda United chairperson hat when she called on the FAI to fulfil a humanitarian obligation. She was speaking in her capacity as an elected TD and party spokesperson on sport. She had a greater right to speak than Trivela had to muzzle her. Had Joanna Byrne made a statement calling for the upcoming match between Ireland and Israel to go ahead, she would never have been thrown under the bus by Trivela. She was not fired for speaking but for what she said.
It would be a sad day for Drogheda United fans if when faced with a choice between Joanna Byrne and Trivela, they shouted Give Us Barabbas
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