the life and times of Stephen Ireland

Quite an interesting past month for the Man City starlet and (where else?) Irish international.

First, he withdrew from the Ireland squad vs Czech Republic because of the "death of his grandmother." Then we find out that neither of his grandmothers had actually died; the real reason turned out to be his girlfriend's miscarriage. You'd think that a miscarriage would be a valid enough reason to withdraw from the squad, but he chose to lie about it, anyway. So naturally, a week later, Man City gave him a new, improved contract, and he was brought back to the international fold.

As if that wasn't strange enough, a report broke out that he had gone on a networking site (Bebo) under the name 'Daddy Dick,' and railed against his footballing profession. Among the quotes: "Football is S***" and "why did I get stuck doin it." (note: his Bebo profile has since been cancelled.)

The troubles seemed to be over for the guy, until this latest bombshell: he is now threatening to quit the Ireland setup because his teammates teased him about his receding hairlines. No joke.


It really goes without saying: the guy is clearly as crazy and (some would say) mentally unstable as he is talented. :shock:

 

Probably lied because announcing that your Significant Other had a miscarriage is not generally done, except to close friends and family.

 

This reminded me of a question I had. Does anyone know what type of compensation soccer players recieve for playing on their national teams? Do they get more than expenses?

 

Re: RE: the life and times of Stephen Ireland

Yes. Usually. Depends on the national governing body, but it's caused dust-ups on a number of third-world national teams.

 

What better way for Stephen Ireland to celebrate a wonder goal by pulling down his shorts and revealing the Superman undie?

(I know it happened a while ago, but with his notoriety still intact, I felt it was a good spot for me to post the link :wink: )

 

Re: RE: the life and times of Stephen Ireland

Hi Mo,

There are 2 sides to this, the club and the player.

There is no compensation to the club for a player being called on for international duty. The club still has to pay the wage of the player while he is away. This is particulally significant in Europe for African players, when the season overlaps the African Nations Cup.

The players: Most international teams pay an apperence fee to players, but they tend to be nominal. Currently it stands at £1500 a game. (http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/sport/ ... 907151.ece)

The English players have chosen to donate their match fees to charity over the next 2 years.

In 2004 the Welsh were offered £300 fees and a £100 win bonus to beat England, after tax and hotel sundires some players were left out of pocket. (http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/main.j ... al1009.xml)

I have no idea what the USMNT does, but it is likely to be a nominal amount.

 

Appreciate the info GaryBarnett. Thanks!