The FAI insist they have not breached their own Covid measures by including three St Pat’s players in today’s Republic of Ireland training session.
Saints defenders Lee Desmond and Shane Griffin and goalkeeper Conor Kearns were surprise participants at FAI headquarters this morning.
The Ireland team is ‘in a bubble’ this week ahead of Thursday’s trip to Bulgaria, a country that is not on the Irish government’s green list.
Ireland boss Stephen Kenny spoke yesterday about how the players and staff were not allowed to see family or friends this week.
And that includes FAI head analyst Ger Dunne whose wife had a baby on Saturday. Dunne cannot see them until after Sunday’s game against Finland.
The team is travelling to the Bulgarian capital tomorrow afternoon on their own charter flight and will be confined to the hotel in Sofia and the match venue.
Today’s inclusion of the three St Pat’s players raised questions over the ‘bubble’.
But according to the FAI, the trio have had - and will have - no close interaction with the Ireland squad outside of their on-pitch work this morning.
They did not travel to the training ground with the Irish team and were not at the team hotel in Castleknock.
An FAI official confirmed they did not change with the Ireland players and said they warmed up on an adjacent pitch, before joining the session once it started.
Once the session is over, they will not be allowed to interact with the senior team or management staff and will make their own way home.
The Ireland players and staff were Covid tested last week. Another round of testing takes place today and then again on Friday.
Desmond, Griffin and Kearns were invited to train to bolster squad numbers as goalkeeper Kieran O’Hara was sitting out while Mark Travers won’t arrive until later.
Crystal Palace midfielder James McCarthy took part in the session, easing injury fears ahead of the Bulgaria game having carried a leg injury in the past week.
Preston North End striker Seanie Maguire was also training having been called in last night to replace injured Troy Parrott.
