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The Shamrock Rovers board and supporters may feel like they have a lottery ticket with last week’s numbers after being drawn to play Italian giants AC Milan at home in the second round of the Europa League.
Any other year, and the tie would represent a financial bonanza for the Dublin club, but coronavirus restrictions and related changes to broadcast rights allocation mean there will be almost no money in the game for Dubliners.
Milan’s international stars, including Zlatan Ibrahimovic, and his stellar reputation would normally warrant a full house for the game at Tallaght on September 17, but instead, the match will almost certainly be played behind closed doors with just a handful of officials. from the club, reporters and those supporters agile enough to scale the wall in front of the Square shopping center, as some did last Thursday night when Ilves Tampere was in town.
However, to compound the problem, the Rovers will not be able to sell the game to Italian television or broadcast it internationally, as UEFA has handed over all national broadcasting rights to visiting teams, while draws in club competitions are decide in a single game.
“We only have the rights to Ireland,” confirmed the club’s director, Mark Lynch, “so broadcast opportunities will be limited, but we’ll see what the level of interest is.
“It is unfortunate that as a club we are not in a position to make more money from the occasion, but from a gaming perspective, playing at Tallaght is a good thing, Milan will have to travel and isolate themselves.
“And the draw is positive in terms of profile for both Shamrock Rovers and Tallaght. Since we moved there, Rovers has made a lot more people overseas get to know the area overseas through occasions like the games against Real Madrid, Tottenham, Kazan and it’s good to be able to do it again now with Milan. So here’s a reward. “
However, financially, it would actually have been better for the Irish side if they had withdrawn, as there would have been a travel grant of around € 40,000 from Uefa and the potential to sell or broadcast the game in neutral territories, including the like New York, where there could have been a lot of interest from fans of the Italian team.
Milan were the last in Ireland in a European tie in 1975, when Athlone Town drew goalless at St Mel’s Park, a game that has become part of Irish League folklore.
Giovanni Trapattoni was the Italian team’s coach for the game, who is generally remembered for the visible discomfort that visiting players experienced prior to kick-off, when they were forced to trudge through mud from their bus to the locker room and during the course of the game. of the game. what followed. Milan won the return match 3-0.
Meanwhile, Dundalk appears to have been more fortunate in the section of the draw reserved for teams that won their national titles last season with the Irish club being lured in by the only unseeded available, Andorra’s Inter Escalades.
No venue has yet been confirmed for the match, which will have to be moved due to the Covid-19 situation, but the club suggested on Monday afternoon that it could be held at a stadium in Greece.
Meanwhile, Matt Doherty’s new club, Tottenham Hotspur, was drawn in by Lokomotiv Plovdiv of Bulgaria, while the Rangers must play against the Lincoln Red Imps of Gibraltar who beat Celtic by a single goal at home four years ago before lose 3-1 in Glasgow.
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