Ireland announces strong team for pre-Paralympic football tournament

Ireland will face USA, Brazil and Great Britain at the tournament in Spain. 23 Apr 2016
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Gary Messett

Gary Messett has been a key anchor for Ireland's football 7-a-side team.

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By Paralympics Ireland

“There’s no doubt that it will be tough, but the experience will be great for the team and it will be good for us to take a look and see how we’re progressing.”

Irish CP football team manager, Barry Ferguson, has announced a strong squad to represent Ireland at the 2016 International Federation of Cerebral Palsy Football (IFCPF) pre-Paralympic Games tournament which will take place in Salou, Spain from 30 April to 7 May.

The team for the tournament comprises of 14 talented footballers who will line out against Brazil, the USA and Great Britain in the group stages of the tournament. The squad includes captain, Luke Evans, along with stalwarts, Brian McGillivary and Gary Messett.

The team qualified for the Rio 2016 Paralympic Games at the Football 7-a-side World Championships in Great Britain last year after securing a 1-0 victory over Argentina. The upcoming tournament in Spain will give Ferguson the chance to see how his side compares to some of their opponents.

Speaking about the squad announcement and the upcoming tournament, he stated: “We are very confident in the team we have selected to travel to the tournament in Spain next week. We are really looking forward to it and we’re delighted with the draw too.

“There’s no doubt that it will be tough, but the experience will be great for the team and it will be good for us to take a look and see how we’re progressing.”

Ireland will take on Brazil in the first game of the tournament on Sunday 1 May, before facing Great Britain on Monday 2 May and the USA on Tuesday 3 May.

The draw for September’s Rio 2016 Paralympic Games will also take place at this tournament.