The seat change caused Aaron Connolly and Adam Idah to miss the Slovakia playoff

Stephen Kenny has confirmed that Aaron Connolly and Adam Idah essentially sat in the wrong seats for the team’s flight from Dublin to Bratislava last Tuesday.

Both players missed the Euro 2020 playoff defeat to Slovakia after being considered close contacts of a non-footballer staff member who subsequently tested positive for Covid-19 after the match’s arrival in the Slovak capital.

the Irish sun reported Saturday night that the two players chose to take two vacant seats in the rear of the plane, behind the staff member in question and in a non-player area, rather than their designated spots above the cabin.

“Yes, that seems to be the case, yes,” said Kenny, who was very reluctant to go into details on the matter when asked about it in a pre-match conference before the Nations League game against Wales. .

“But again, he wouldn’t have been aware of that because he was obviously at the front of the plane.”

As a result, Connolly and Idah are also out of Nations League matches against Wales and Finland. Both returned to their clubs in England from Bratislava, while the rest of the Irish squad flew back to their base in Dublin.

The entire episode, which dates back to the steps that were taken when a first member of the team’s bubble tested positive last Monday, has raised questions about the FAI’s handling of Covid-related protocols.

The staff member who tested positive in Slovakia was what Kenny referred to as a non-essential and non-football member of the match.

The Dubliner declined to comment on anything of that nature, stating that it would be “grossly irresponsible” of you as a senior manager to make such public statements, but emphasized that there are great staff and good people working with and for them.

“This is an unprecedented situation, for sure,” he added. “It’s something we have to deal with and … Sure, everyone can learn, but it’s an unfortunate situation and we have to live with.”

Kenny would clearly prefer the narrative to change to the next two games, but even he accepted that the Covid situation that deprived him of two key attackers “is not something that should have come up.”

He also confirmed that Connolly had been signed on to start the tiebreaker and that the drama caused unwanted distractions ahead of such an essential game.

To find out on game day, and then a bit of saga because there was the possibility of an appeal and so on … So it was not good preparation on game day because we were arguing about that and the impact of that. than the game itself, but there is nothing we can do about it. “

Ultimately, he said, there was no guarantee of a different outcome if the two players had been available. Ireland now have to move on without them, as well as David McGoldrick, who has been eliminated from the next two games with an abductor muscle injury.

The Sheffield United striker was superb at times against the Slovaks and his absence is yet another blow in a match that is of great importance to Ireland in terms of qualification and seeds before the World Cup qualification draw next month.

James McCarthy, who came out in the hour on Thursday, is also a doubt although it has been confirmed that the Crystal Palace midfielder did not break anything before leaving. No one was mentioned as a replacement.

“We have a lot to consider,” Kenny said as he sought a first win on the fourth down. “The players played 120 minutes but each international is very important and significant in the lives of the players, although there is not a full house in the current situation.

“Some think that dilutes its importance, but it shouldn’t be. It should still be an occasion in itself and all the players are proud to play for Ireland. Everyone is suffering right now after losing the other night. It is a great disappointment because the players were excellent ”.

It’s a great question for a squad that had already suffered the losses of Seamus Coleman, Darragh Lenihan, and Harry Arter. It was 5.30am on Friday morning before they landed back in Dublin and Kenny admitted that another 24 hours would be welcome before playing again.

That said, he found it unnecessary to emphasize the importance of this game for his team. Or the positives of the game in Slovakia that could easily be overlooked given the crushing disappointment that saw the end of their Euro 2020 ambitions.

“I don’t think I have to. They see it themselves, having gone head-to-head in our last two away games and largely controlling the matches, and Slovakia was tip-to-tip. We have to improve that and finish our opportunities and create even more.

“They have seen it themselves and with their own eyes. They themselves know that they have a lot of potential in the team and they are very capable footballers and very capable of going head-to-head with some of the best teams ”.