Michael O’Neill admits he is very disappointed that Casement Park will not be built in time for Euro 2028 but insists Northern Ireland can still have a big part to play in the tournament – by qualifying.
The international boss has already led one Northern Ireland squad to a major tournament and has now set his sights on doing it again by taking them to the Euro 2028 Finals, which will be hosted across England, Scotland, Wales and the Republic of Ireland.
Unfortunately, however, Northern Ireland will no longer be able to host any fixtures during the tournament after confirmation that Casement Park will not be built in time following the British Government’s announcement they would not be contributing enough funding to complete the project.
That was a decision that, understandably, disappointed O’Neill, not just because it means Northern Ireland will not host games but because it takes away the possibility of his side automatically qualifying for the tournament as a host nation.
However, it hasn’t prevented him from remaining optimistic that they will qualify on merit and the manager admits he already has a plan in place as to how they will do so, even if the tournament is still four years away.
“That’s something that has rumbled on. It is disappointing we won’t be a host nation but my focus is on the football,” pointed out O’Neill.
“It’s four years away, we have this Nations League campaign, we have World Cup qualification, hopefully we might have a World Cup, then we have another Nations League campaign and qualification for Euro 2028. There’s so much football to be played in the intervening period that the focus, for me, has to be on having a plan to qualify as a host nation.
“We will have to qualify because we’re not a host nation. The best thing we can do is qualify and hopefully everyone can benefit from it on that basis.”
A fly-through of the proposed Casement Park redevelopment for the 2028 Euros_duplicated
In the meantime, O’Neill has revealed he is excited to see Larne take part in the league phase of the UEFA Conference League when they face Norwegian side Molde in their opening fixture tonight.
O’Neill has plenty of experience in Europe having famously coached Shamrock Rovers in the 2012 Europa League and says he hopes the Inver Reds can shine more light on the growing standard of the Irish League.
“It’s been talked about a lot for an Irish League club getting through that watershed to play group stage (European) football, or league football as it’s now called, and Larne have the opportunity,” praised the Northern Ireland boss.
“It will be tough. They’re definitely a big step from qualification (for the knockouts) and they play some teams with a lot of European experience. I’m sure they’ll give a good account of themselves and it’s great for the profile of the League and the players and the managers.
“It’s a real shop window for the players that, if you can come and play on the European stage and deal with that, it can only benefit your career. Going back to Shamrock Rovers, I think we had three or four players who moved on to England after we played in the group stages in 2012.
“It’s a great opportunity for the players and the club as a whole and for the League as well.”
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“It’s slightly different because of the format of this. It’s usually two-legged ties where you’re trying to progress, these are one-off games, so it’s a slightly different approach.
“The key thing away from home in Europe is trying not to be beaten, so you have to be good without the ball and organised, probably a different approach to what Tiernan does here domestically because he has the best team in the League.
“It’ll be a step up for everyone but so far everything that’s been thrown at him, he’s dealt with.”
Larne will be relieved to have manager Tiernan Lynch still in the dugout for the tie at the Aker Stadion after he turned down a move to St Johnstone in favour of staying at Inver Park, with their long-time boss still in tow to spearhead their pioneering European campaign.
O’Neill is one of a small group of Northern Irish managers to have made the decision to jump across the water, firstly as a player and then as manager having coached with Brechin City and then Stoke City, and he was thrilled to see Lynch in the mix for the job, even if he turned it down.
“It’s not something that I think has happened regularly from the Irish League, coaches getting the opportunity,” points out O’Neill.
“There are managers who have had a lot of success here, David Jeffrey, Stephen Baxter, Roy Coyle going right the way back, but I don’t think they were presented with the opportunities. Management in the Irish League was more on a part-time basis.
“The fact that managers are being recruited from this League, with the approaches to Tiernan and David Healy, it’s a sign that this League is gaining more credibility all the time.
“Larne’s involvement in Europe helps with that and we’ve long talked about the Irish League producing players, but it’s nice to see managers working in a more professional environment getting noticed.”