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Apparently he wanted Wimbledon FC to move to Belfast according official papers released. This was around the time of the Good Friday agreement in 1998 and Blair thought a Premier League team based in Northern Ireland was something the Protestant and Catholic communities could unite behind.
This reminded me that Sam Hammam wanted to take Wimbledon to Dublin at one time didn’t he - I wonder if was in contact with Blair much about a move to Belfast?
Jim Boyce, who was president of the Irish Football Association at the time, told Radio 5 Live on Thursday that the idea was "pie in the sky".
He said: "We were asked to meet civil servants when the idea cropped up - I've been involved in football in Northern Ireland for approximately 70 years and it has done more to bringing the communities together in this province than politicians have ever done.
"It would have killed local football and the people who put so much work into local football at the time, and the spectators of local football clubs, they just have obviously no interest in this whatsoever.
"I think it was quite honestly a publicity stunt. As was proved, as I said at the time when this was discussed that Wimbledon were in the Premier League. Yes, to many people who weren't local football fans of course it would have been nice to see Manchester United, Liverpool and Spurs possibly coming to Northern Ireland.
"But what [would] happen in a few years time if they weren't in the Premier League, as happened. To me, honestly, it was a total pie in the sky and I'm glad Mo Mowlam put a stop to it as there were people trying to create publicity."
https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/67832071
Ah the great socialist war criminal up to his usual tricks, I see Alastair Campbell was also involved
Damn! I clicked on your thread with gusto, hoping that it was an obituary for the slimy sack o' sh*te
Blair didn't dupe the 1.5 million people who marched in London back in 2003, and whatever people think of george Galloway, he called the whole thing spot on, even predicting the consequential insurgencies, the formation of isis and even more wide spread unrest in the middle east, thus making the world more unsafe. Bloody Lefties.
Tony Blair thirty years ago : nothing to do with today's Labour Party.
Daily Mail from 90 years ago : Nazis like they've always been.
Didn't Campbell also suggest a match between Celtic and Rangers in Belfast with the teams wearing their opponent's kit? Madness.
It’s still unbelievable what happened to Wimbledon and how they allowed the MK dons to happen, and some people say Sam is a football guy.
Cardiff was also a serious proposal for the move at the time. On another point, TB wasn’t left wing but left wing candidates don’t get elected PM in England. That’s an unfortunate fact.