FOOTBALL punditry thrives on debate and there’s no better stage for it to take place than the RTÉ sports studio, where veterans Liam Brady and Eamon Dunphy have been at each other’s throats again.
Locked in disagreement over Barcelona’s surprise exit from the UEFA Champions League on Wednesday night, Dunphy sided with the hard-working Atletico Madrid outfit who plotted the European Champions’ downfall with an outstanding defensive display.
Football purist Brady, though, said it was a “sad night” as Barcelona were no longer in the competition having been beaten 3-2 on aggregate, with “cynical” Atletico winning 2-0 in the second-leg to build on their 2-1 defeat in the opening game.
In a heated manner, Dunphy replied: "They aren't cynical! They are hard working. They are aggressive. There is a difference between cynicism and aggression in my view."
However, after two subsequent minutes of locking horns without interruption (while John Giles largely keeps himself to himself) the pair – who have been broadcasting beside one another on RTÉ for decades – laughed off their exchanges and moved on.
