A NORTH MACEDONIA football side has said having to land at Shannon Airport instead of Dublin was an act of “evil”.

Despite the ease of access at Shannon proving very popular in comparison with the thousands of passengers who missed at flights due to queuing chaos at Dublin, the diversion was slammed by FC Shkupi ahead of their Europa League third round qualifier with Shamrock Rovers in Tallaght.

Shamrock Rovers recorded a 3-1 first leg win over FC Shkupi in their first leg encounter, a much tighter contest was expected giving the fighting talk espoused by the North Macedonia men before kick-off.

In a statement on Thursday, the club accused the Irish Government of not listening to a plea from UEFA to assist them in landing in the capital and said clubs from Italy, Spain, Germany or England would have been treated better. “Unfortunately this has not been done to any other team except the North Macedonian team, our loneliness has emerged again as we progressed on the European road”.

“Despite our budget, we were trying to keep our players comfortable by hiring a charter plane and paying thousands of euros to ensure that our players could make it to the Europa League (tie) in good health but the Irish government did not listen to UEFA, despite the intervention of UEFA, landed us 300km from Dublin and gave our team and undeserved treatment on this journey”. Shannon Airport is 215km from Tallaght Stadium and not 300 as stated by FC Shkupi.

“We would like to say to the Irish that they should know well that we have a very characterful team. The reward of being a team is to respond as a team to the evil done to you. In the same, today our team will show you a character it is, like lions on the field, it will show that there is no team that will not bow down to such cheap games, such cheap games should not have a place in football, they should not go unpunished. You landed Ludogorets (Rovers’ previous opponents) in Dublin. Could you treat us the same if any Italian, Spanish, German or English team showed up? We hope our government will respond to this situation,” the statement added.

A spokesperson for Shannon Group told The Clare Echo said they were “delighted” to facilitate the arrival FC Shkupi. “We are always happy to facilitate the arrivals and departures of sports teams at Shannon Airport, and as official airport partners of Munster Rugby we have considerable experience of what teams require. We were asked if we could facilitate the North Macedonian team’s flight at Shannon Airport and were delighted to do so. We looked after the team yesterday and gave them a warm welcome when they arrived.”

Rovers themselves hailed the experience of flying from Shannon when they did so for their Champions League qualifier with Malta side, Hibernians.

Ennis’ Barry Cotter was part of the Hoops squad for that qualifier but has since moved on loan to St Patrick’s Athletic. They produced a fantastic result on Thursday evening when recording a 1-0 first leg win away to CSKA Sofia in the Europa Conference League this evening.

Related News

east clare memorial pat hayes
Hayes accusses Tipperary councillor of spreading 'misinformation' on Killaloe to Ballina pedestrianisation
sixmilebridge main st 2
Planning refused for 38 homes in Sixmilebridge
ballinasloe flood meeting 1-2
Ballinasloe flood relief scheme to enter planning next year
1 DSC_9388
'If he wants to stay he will' - seventh season likely for Lohan

Advertisement

Latest News
ballinasloe flood meeting 1-2
Ballinasloe flood relief scheme to enter planning next year
1 DSC_9388
'If he wants to stay he will' - seventh season likely for Lohan
ballymacaula 1
Plans lodged for Ennis' largest single-housing development
01052025_Council_Cliffs_of_Moher_0059
Rita represented West Clare 'with integrity & dignity' during term as Cathaoirleach
natasha o'brien 1
'I'd rather be difficult than be silent' - Natasha determined to speak out
Premium
waterford v clare minor 28-06-25 tommy kennedy ian o'brien ger o'connell 1
All-Ireland final defeat won't overshadow year for Clare minors
ennis homecoming 22-07-24 marty morrissey alan o'callaghan 2
'It was a year full of everything' - O'Callaghan looks back on term as Mayor of Clare
1 DSC_9466
'There's no way we're not going to go again' - O'Donnell says no decisions made but exits from Clare camp unlikely
brendan o'mara
Two Gardaí working full-time on case of €10m drug seizure involving Meelick ex Ryanair pilot
charge sheet 1
Ennistymon farmer tears up charge sheet in front of Garda where he is accused of year long harassment of neighbour

Subscribe for just €3 per month

If you’re here, you care about County Clare. So do we. Did you rely on us for Covid-19 updates, follow our election coverage, or visit The Clare Echo every week for breaking news and sport? The Clare Echo invests in local journalism and we want to safeguard its future in our county. By becoming a subscriber you are supporting what we do, will receive access to all our premium articles and a better experience, while helping us improve our offering to you. Subscribe to clareecho.ie and get the first six months for just €3 a month (less than 75c per week), and thereafter €8 per month. Cancel anytime, limited time offer. T&Cs Apply. www.clareecho.ie.

Subscribe for just €3 per month

If you’re here, you care about County Clare. So do we. Did you rely on us for Covid-19 updates, follow our election coverage, or visit The Clare Echo every week for breaking news and sport? The Clare Echo invests in local journalism and we want to safeguard its future in our county. By becoming a subscriber you are supporting what we do, will receive access to all our premium articles and a better experience, while helping us improve our offering to you. Subscribe to clareecho.ie and get the first six months for just €3 a month (less than 75c per week), and thereafter €8 per month. Cancel anytime, limited time offer. T&Cs Apply. www.clareecho.ie.

Advertisement