Three Irish football fans have been left €1,400 out of pocket after Ireland's match with Armenia this summer was brought forward by three days.
The Republic of Ireland were originally scheduled to face Armenia in Yerevan on June 7, but the match will now be played on June 4 to allow Ukraine to take on Scotland in their rescheduled World Cup play-off semi-final.
Ireland were due to face Ukraine in their opening Nations League match, but will now travel to Armenia first before taking on Oleksandr Petrakov's side in Dublin four days later.
Gerry Flynn, 74, from Ballyfermot, West Dublin has been left angered that the date of the game has been changed, without travelling fans being given any warning.
He told The Irish Mirror: "So the situation is that last week we (his son and a friend) booked flights to Armenia for the match on June 4. It cost us €1,400 and we were to arrive on Saturday.
“And two days later the games were being changed.”
The Ireland supporter believes the FAI could have had better communication with fans advising them to hold off on making travel arrangements.
He added: “I am a season ticket holder and all it would have taken is an email to say that these games were going to be rescheduled.
“This was always going to happen, but they never got in touch with anybody.
“As a result, we're in a situation where we would arrive in Armenia on June 4, three hours after the game was over."
Gerry only discovered the news last Thursday when the FAI revealed that Ireland's opening two games in the competition were being switched to accommodate the World Cup play-off between Scotland and Ukraine, which was originally meant to take place last month but was cancelled due to the war.
He explained: “I was in the house two days after we booked the tickets, and my son said ‘The games have been rescheduled.’
“I just thought this can’t be true."
Gerry has been supporting Ireland at home and abroad for decades, having taken in his first game at Dalymount Park in 1959, when Johnny Giles made his debut in a 3-2 victory over Sweden.
He has made alternative plans to get to Yerevan to cheer on Stephen Kenny's side, but had to pay €300 to do so.
“We decided that we would book new flights and that was €900 we paid on new flights,” said Gerry.
“Costing us €300 a head to change and that was the best deal.
"I'm lucky that I can afford to change the flights, but there's many that can't."
In a statement to the Irish Mirror on the rescheduling of games, the FAI said: “The FAI understands the frustrations felt by those fans who had already booked flights for Ireland’s upcoming UEFA Nations League games after the initial fixture list was announced in December, before the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
"Unfortunately these fixture changes are a direct result of the current situation in Ukraine and the fact that the World Cup play-offs, involving both Ukraine and Scotland, were postponed in March.
"UEFA and FIFA consulted with all eight countries impacted by these fixture changes but given the circumstances, there was nothing else UEFA and FIFA could do other than alter the schedule and rearrange these 15 affected games as they now stand.
"Although sensitive to the impact this may have on fans of a number of countries, UEFA and FIFA held discussions with the national federations involved to decide what best could be done to facilitate Ukraine’s return to international football in the face of the extraordinarily difficult situation in their country.
"The FAI has already corresponded with the fans who have contacted us regarding this issue.”
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