President Higgins meets with captains and managers of Bohemians and St Patrick’s Athletic ahead of FAI Cup Final
Date: Fri 10th Nov, 2023 | 16:00
Uachtarán na hÉireann, President Michael D. Higgins this afternoon met with representatives of Bohemian FC and St Patrick’s Athletic at Áras an Uachtaráin ahead of this Sunday’s FAI Cup Final.
Bohemians were represented by their captain Keith Buckley and manager Declan Devine, while St Patrick’s Athletic were represented by captain Joe Redmond and manager Jon Daly. Also in attendance were FAI President Gerry McAnaney and League of Ireland Director Mark Scanlon with the FAI Cup trophy itself.
The President wished both teams the very best of luck ahead of Sunday’s match.
In a statement, President Higgins said:
“I am delighted to welcome Bohemians and St Patrick’s Athletic, two of my closest footballing neighbours in Phibsborough and Inchicore, to Áras an Uachtaráin ahead of this Sunday’s FAI Cup Final.
Thanks to the work of so many people across the country, domestic football is now in a very strong position and it is fantastic to see the primacy that the FAI Cup Final has now achieved in the Irish sporting calendar. This is reflected in the well over 40,000 tickets which have already been sold for Sunday’s final, giving a fantastic chance that the highest ever attendance for an FAI Cup Final of 41,238, set back in 1945, will be broken this weekend.
We will all be hoping for another exciting match, following the 2021 final between the same two teams which of course went all the way to penalties.
May I offer my very best wishes to the players, management and fans of both teams and encourage all those who love live football to attend the game or, if that isn’t possible, to watch it from home.
Bain taitneamh as an gcluiche agus beir beannacht.”