The ex-Ireland international who refuses to watch the 2022 World Cup

Jackie McCarthy O’Brien won 13 caps for Ireland. JACKIE MCCARTHY-O’BRIEN loves sport and has devoted a large portion of her life to it.

She has been horrified by the controversies surrounding migrant workers, while as an openly gay person and a tireless LGBTQ+ advocate, she is appalled too by Qatar’s well-documented adverse treatment of homosexuals.“If you’re asking players to go over and take part in a tournament, I completely understand that there could be a guy there, it could be his last year playing, and every soccer player’s goal would be to make it to a World Cup.

Initially, she admits to being less vocal in speaking out about racism and standing up for the gay community, but gradually, McCarthy-O’Brien became more confident in using her voice to confront injustice.She cites one particular anecdote as an example where she overheard a coach making a racist comment ahead of a big match.

“So I took a stand on that. It was hard to do it. I knew I was going to get a bit of a backlash, that people wouldn’t understand why I was doing it. But in the long run, I think when we went up there and played without a manager, and we did so well, they could see: ‘We’re a team and at the end of the day, teammates have to stick together.’”

“So in women’s soccer, it seems to attract gay people. I think the visibility of openly gay couples playing the sport made it easier for the younger generation to come along and follow them and go: ‘Well, if they can do this, and they’re known to be gay, I can.’ “It just attracted like-minded people. And you felt you weren’t the only one because being gay is seen as a dress sense. It’s seen as being a tomboy, and everything else like that. So when you saw somebody else like that, you didn’t feel alone, you were not the only one.

“It’s actually embraced now,” she says. “It’s seen as: ‘This is the norm here. Look, they’re no different.’ I suppose, back in the day, you wouldn’t be held up as a role model, if you were gay. Now, they’re at the forefront. And as it should be.

Fair enough

thejournal_ie Fair enough. Her decision not to watch... doesn't make any difference either way though. Her not turning the games on doesn't make the slightest bit of difference!

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