Wednesday 25 January 2012

Trapattoni Confirms EURO Friendlies


The Republic of Ireland will play warm-up matches against Bosnia Herzegovina and Hungary in the run-up to Euro 2012.

The Irish team will face Bosnia at the Aviva Stadium in Dublin on 26 May before departing for a week of training at Florence.

That period could feature a match against a local team to give fringe players a chance to get some game time before the tournament.

The team will then travel to Hungary for a match to be played on 4 June.

Ireland's first fixture in Euro 2012 is against Croatia in Poznan on 10 June.

Meanwhile FAI Chief Executive John Delaney has confirmed that the FAI has made representations to tournament organisers in a bid to secure extra tickets for supporters. The associations expects 20-25,000 Irish supporters to travel.

"I am hopeful that we might get some extra tickets as we get nearer to the Euros. We have made representations. We have got 6,000 tickets per game, they'll all go," he said.

"We are going to try to secure some extra tickets for the supporters because it is in our interest and everybody's interest to get as many people into those three games as possible to encourage the team and get behind them."

Delaney explained the reasoning behind the choice of opponents prior to the European championships in Poland and Ukraine.

"I don't think they (teams outside Europe) suited. I think it was best to get somebody who will play a similar style of football so we got Bosnia, who are 19th in the world and are very similar to Croatia."

"The manager felt it would be right to play a similar type nation to prepare properly. The first game is a really important game."

An England friendly was mooted but after the draw it became clear that the sides could meet in a quarter-final, and that means the much anticipated friendly will have to wait a little longer.

"We hoped to play them in May but that was something that their manager didn't want to do. There is a possibility that we will play England in the quarter-final if both countries progress. But that will happen sooner rather than later."

The team is already scheduled to play the Czech Republic on 29 February.

EURO 2012 FIXTURES
10 June: Croatia (Poznan)
14 June: Spain (Gdansk)
18 June: Italy (Poznan)