“Match too physical”: women’s Ireland leaves camp in protest

Ireland-Colombia women’s team interrupted after just 20′ due to Irish protest

Supposed to be a simple test to find ideal form ahead of the Women’s World Cup, it instead had a resounding outcome, to say the least: the friendly match between the women’s teams of Ireland and Colombia, played in Brisbane behind closed doors, was interrupted after just 20 minutes of play due to a protest by the Irish players, who left the field after a foul suffered by number 10 Denise O’Sullivan that forced her to visit a hospital to check the condition of her knee struck by an opponent.

It was precisely the particular situation (no spectators in the stands nor live TV coverage of any kind) that meant that the reason for the cancellation of the match, initially unknown, was not made public until several hours later, with a post on the Irish national team’s social media: “The closed-door match between the Irish women’s national team and Colombia on Friday night ended after 20 minutes of play,” it reads. “The match had become too physical and it was decided, after consultation with match officials, to stop it.

With the match suspended, the Irish only returned to the pitch for training, when by then the Colombians had themselves decided to leave. Through its Twitter profile, the Colombian Seleccion confirmed the interruption by placing it at the 23rd minute, but declined any responsibility. “The Colombian Football Federation,” the note reads, “informs that the friendly match that was supposed to take place between the Colombian women’s national team and Ireland has been suspended because the Irish national team, this Friday’s opponent, preferred not to continue playing, when 23 minutes of the first half had already elapsed.

“Our teams are aware of the rules of the game, healthy competition and Fair Play,” the statement specifies. However, we respect the decision of our opposing team.