A Northern Irish footballer has been sanctioned with six games for urinating on the field during a match of the Northern Ireland Cup played last July at Windsor Park Stadium in Belfast between his team, Coleraine, and Ballymena United.
Eoin Bradley, of Catholic origin, was discreetly forced to answer nature's call just before the semifinal overtime of that tournament and, in addition to the punishment imposed by the Federation, has received sectarian attacks on social media from fans who consider that he has "desecrated" a "temple" of Northern Irish football, which is mostly Protestant.
The Federation announced this Tuesday that the player has been found "guilty" of "misconduct" by violating article 17, which punishes actions that "discredit the game", as explained by its officials in a statement.
Coleraine lost that tie in the penalty shootout and for six matches will be without one of their best players, the scorer of the only goal scored by their team against Ballymena.
Just before the overtime, the cameras of the BBC television network captured the moment when the player left the field to relieve himself, after apparently requesting to use the restroom, a request that was denied due to the COVID-19 measures.
Since then, Bradley has been harshly criticized on social media, where his behavior has been described as "typical of a Fenian," a derogatory term for the Catholic-nationalist community of the British province.
The footballer has defended himself against the attacks and has also posted entries on social media.
"Yes, I have urinated at Windsor. Yes, I am a Fenian/Catholic. Some of my best friends are Protestants. So what? It's 2020. Grow up," Bradley wrote.
The general manager of Coleraine, Stevie McCann, has also defended his player and condemned the online attacks.
"Comments of a sectarian nature have no place and are not welcome at Coleraine FC," emphasized the executive.
Before joining Coleraine, Bradley was a Gaelic football player with Derry, a sport associated with Catholics throughout Ireland and considered a symbol of nationalism in both the south and north of the island. EFE