A WORLD CUP qualifier between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland’s women’s teams saw no national anthems sung and no flags raised due to “safety concerns”.
UEFA made the decision to ban the anthems along with national banners ahead of the game at Mourneview Park in Lurgan on Tuesday.
The nature of the ‘threat’ is unclear, but the PSNI said the decision was made “solely” by UEFA officials.
In a statement given to The Irish Post, a spokeswoman for UEFA said that “both (Irish) association agreed not to fly any national flags nor play any of the national anthems.”
She added: “This decision was based on safety and security priorities and was validated by the UEFA match delegate on site.”
When Northern Ireland and the Republic last met in a men’s international match in Dublin in 2011, both anthems were played and flags were allowed.
Asked whether the island of Ireland is being treated as a special case in world football – or if such procedures will be used at other games – UEFA told The Irish Post that they “do not comment on hypothetical situations.”
The PSNI said the decision to ban anthems and flags at the match in Lurgan was made “solely by UEFA, not the PSNI.”
The Irish Football Association (IFA) said it was "disappointed" that "normal" pre-match protocols could not be observed.
A spokesman said: "Following safety concerns raised ahead of the FIFA Women’s World Cup qualifier between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland at Mourneview Park, it was agreed with the UEFA match delegate that neither national anthem be played or flag be flown before the game.
"The Irish FA believes that the flag of both competing teams should be flown at a match venue and that their anthems should be played before a game.
“While understanding the safety concerns behind the UEFA match delegate’s decision, the association is disappointed that it was not possible for the normal pre-match protocols to be observed last night."
Football Association Ireland (FAI) spokesman Ian Mallon said: "In advance of last night’s 2019 World Cup qualifier with Northern Ireland at Mourneview Park in Lurgan, the Football Association of Ireland was informed by UEFA that no national anthems would be played or flags would be flown prior to the game.
"The UEFA decision was made on foot of information received by the police, the match venue, and the IFA around safety concerns."
Republic of Ireland women’s manager Colin Bell told the BBC they wanted to "leave the political stuff to other people" but explained he had been practising the national anthem and was "upset" he wasn’t allowed to sing it.
He added: "That was decided above our heads we can't change it so we didn't talk about it.”
Tuesday’s game went ahead without incident, after an own goal from Northern Ireland’s Rachell Furness and a strike from Megan Campbell sealed a 0-2 victory for the Republic.
It was Northern Ireland’s second defeat in five days, following Friday's loss to Norway in their opening qualifier for World Cup 2019.
