The Republic of Ireland manager, Stephen Kenny, is facing a disciplinary hearing in Dublin on Friday after showing his players an “anti-English” video before the defeat at Wembley last week.
The Guardian has learned that Kenny left a number of his squad uncomfortable by the contents of the video, which were a mix of motivational pro-Irish messages and a history of Anglo-Irish relations. Indeed, it is believed some players objected to what they were shown.
England ran out 3-0 winners following goals from Harry Maguire, Jadon Sancho and Dominic Calvert-Lewin and this latest update will no doubt add to the growing pressure on Kenny after a less than impressive start to his Ireland reign.
He is still searching for his first win after eight games in charge of Ireland, including a penalty shootout defeat to Slovakia that ended their hopes of qualifying for the Euro 2020 finals. His team have managed to score only once in 2020 during a 1-1 draw with Bulgaria in September.
In a statement the FAI said: “The Football Association of Ireland is aware of issues surrounding content shared with our Republic of Ireland senior men’s team ahead of the recent international friendly against England at Wembley Stadium.
“The FAI is already looking into this internally as a matter of urgency, in order to establish the facts. The FAI has no further comment to make at this time.”
