The International Relations Dimension of Irish Soccer

Abstract

The island of Ireland is divided, not only politically into two states, Ireland and Northern Ireland, but also in the world of soccer. Thus, it represents a suitable subject for research from an international relations (IR) perspective. This article explores the roles of the Football Association of Ireland (FAI) and the Irish Football Association (IFA), domestic political actors, and the game’s international governance institutions that may have impacted the international relations of Ireland’s two states. The evidence shows that football actors in Northern Ireland attempted to impact the IR of football of Ireland. Also, the preservation of the status quo as regards a football merger is related to the interests of individuals in key international football governance positions on both sides of the border and on attempts by the two states to secure an All-Ireland international representation as proposed by the constructivist theory of international relations.