IRELAND are one step closer to hosting England in a soccer friendly in summer of next year, after the English FA appeared to have committed to the deal.
The Football Association of Ireland’s chief executive John Delaney is believed to have announced at an AUL event in Dublin on Monday night that he received a phone call stating that the game was confirmed.
Whilst a specific date for the match was not revealed, it is believed the friendly will take place in May or June 2015.
Negotiations between the FAI and English FA had reached an advanced stage in Nice on Sunday following the Euro 2016 qualifying draw.
Both nations were drawn into separate groups, meaning that the likelihood of confirmation of the sides facing each other in a friendly is more likely.
However, the earliest date that the fixture could realistically take place appears to be May/June 2015, because both England and Ireland play games in March of that year.
There does not appear to be a possibility for the fixture to be held in 2014.
If the game is confirmed, it will be the first tie between the sides in Ireland since the infamous abandoned game of 1995.
