Ireland’s Heimir Hallgrimsson admitted it felt like “football was second” at a “strange” World Cup draw.
The Irish manager was present at the Kennedy Center in Washington since his team will have a group involving hosts Mexico, South Africa and South Korea if they can get through play-offs involving Czech Republic and then either Denmark or North Macedonia, as he spoke about how needs to ensure they are properly prepared in case they do get through.
While he stated he was “excited” to be involved, he couldn’t hide a certain bafflement at how the draw actually went.
“Strange, I really have to admit,” Hallgrimsson said. “I felt like football was second, and entertainment was first, that’s just my… because I’ve done a few draws for Euros, for Gold Cup, for Copa America, so I’ve done a lot of these kinds of events. Football should always be first.
“I’m not going into that [politics], it’s not my thing to talk about those things but, like I said, football should be first.
“It’s strange to be here, but we’re happy to be here, we’re excited to be here. We still have a chance to qualify, that’s what we were aiming at.
A lot of the play-off teams were unhappy to be in the play-offs, but we are really excited. It’s maybe the difference in mentality as well, we have everything to play for.”
While there will always be superstitious talk of tempting fate, Hallgrimsson said he has to look at the World Cup as much as the play-offs, if even just for the short-turnaround. The issue obviously has an extra dimension for Ireland, given that their last World Cup appearance in 2002 was overshadowed by Roy Keane leaving the camp over his feelings on preparation.
“We must look at both,” Hallgrimsson said. “Number one, if everything happens our way, at least we are prepared, and it’s going to be a short turnaround from the March games until the start of the World Cup and if we are not prepared a lot of things can go wrong in that period of time, especially with all the excitement going on, so we need to start to do all the work like we are going to be here, and we will do that. So if it happens and when it happens, then we are ready.
“There’s workshops for us, for logistics, for security, we need to do that, and we’re glad to do it.
It’s obviously the biggest competition that’s ever been done, with extra nations, there’s going to be a lot of complications and logistics will be tough. Now we know if we qualify we go and play in Mexico, there’s going to be heat, there’s going to be altitude, so there’s a lot of things we have to plan, if we get there. We don’t want to be like ‘what are we going to do now’, if we get there, when it happens.
“Obviously we are all hoping. At least we are in a good moment. This last camp gives us confidence, which is good, coming into the March games, which will be huge. For most of these players, it’s always going to be the biggest games they have played.
So it’s an exciting time in that sense in that we can create something that hasn’t happened for a long time, and that’s kind of what we are feeling, the excitement.”
Hallgrimsson echoed the fans’ excitement at potentially playing in Mexico, but pointed to some of the extra difficulties, too.
“I know from both Iceland and Jamaica, playing in a stadium like Azteca is really tough, not only the fans, but the lack of oxygen, it’s different from anything these players have played so we need to be prepared if we go there.”
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