FAI fined €20,000 by UEFA for Ireland's 'Celtic Symphony' chant

The FAI have been fined €20,000 for "the violation of the basic rules of decent conduct" by UEFA.

The move comes after some members of the Republic of Ireland women's team sang 'Celtic Symphony' by The Wolfe Tones after the national team qualified for the World Cup for the first time in history.

Following Ireland's 1-0 victory over Scotland at Hampden Park in October, a video circulated on Instagram Live of the team celebrating their achievement in the dressing room and singing the patriotic song.

The team's manager Vera Pauw and the players apologised for the incident. "The FAI again apologises for any offense caused and we will continue to review this situation accordingly to ensure that our international players and staff, across all of our teams, are aware of their responsibilities," the FAI said in a statement.

The song's writer, Brian Warfield, later claimed that the team was "forced and bullied into apologising".

"I call on the FAI to apologise to these young girls for putting them into a situation that was totally cruel," Warfield said in a video on TikTok.

"Putting them into the lion's den when they were sent out there to answer the questions of a professional commentator on Sky News, and they were made and bullied into apologising. They sang a song, and it's a football song. It's a song I wrote about Celtic."

Warfield was commissioned to write the song to celebrate the centenary of the Glaswegian football team's foundation in 1988. According to Warfield, he took the lyrics from graffiti he saw on the streets of Glasgow, including "Up the Celts, we're magic", and the point of controversy, "Ooh Ah Up The Ra".

The Wolfe Tones.

'Celtic Symphony' re-entered the charts following the controversy, with the song reaching number one on the Irish iTunes charts, and crowds singing the chant while in Dublin Airport.

This morning, however (December 8), UEFA issued a fine against the FAI for a "violation of the basic rules of decent conduct".

"Following an investigation conducted by a UEFA Ethics and Disciplinary Inspector regarding the potential inappropriate behaviour by players of the Republic of Ireland Women's team in the aftermath of the 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup qualifiers play-off second leg match played against Scotland on 11 October 2022, and the subsequent disciplinary proceedings opened against the Football Association of Ireland, the UEFA Control, Ethics and Disciplinary Body has taken the following decision: to fine the Football Association of Ireland €20,000 for the violation of the basic rules of decent conduct."

The FAI then released a statement, which reads:

"The Football Association of Ireland notes and accepts the sanction by the Control, Ethics and Disciplinary Body of UEFA following UEFA’s independent investigation into a potential breach of UEFA’s Disciplinary Regulations. The FAI and the Republic of Ireland Women’s National Team has apologised to all affected by events after the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup Qualifying Play-Off against Scotland in Hampden Park in October. The FAI has assured UEFA that all players and staff across all of our international teams have been, and will continue to be, reminded of their responsibilities every time they represent their country. The FAI will be making no further comment on this matter."