The 42FM

‘The whole conversation is stupendously ridiculous’ says Sinead, who fears for football and hurling should video review be introduced.
Sinead tells Niall that any embrace of technology beyond HawkEye and goal-line sensors would lead to decisions which are no less contentious, while making the overall player and fan experience ‘way less fun’.
It’s a rocky road, says Sinead, and we need only look to soccer and rugby for clear evidence that the quest for the perfect decision is futile and counterproductive.
Niall is not sure if this ‘stone age or nowhere’ policy is too vibes based, and wonders whether Sinead would be as ready to accept that sport and life are inherently unfair in the very moment when her favourite team has paid the ultimate price for a wrong call.
It is, Sinead concedes, hard to recall such a situation given Kildare’s lack of brushes with success in recent seasons. But in the event of such glory she would give it up for greater principles: perfection should be strived for with greater training and support for referees, but ultimately we have to accept their best-intentioned human failings.
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David Sneyd dials in from America to chat to Sinead O’Carroll and Niall Kelly about the US President’s intervention in the World Cup.

Our reporter on the ground thought he might get through the rest of the World Cup talking about just football - until Donald Trump decided to call his fellow president, Gianni Infantino, the Fifa version, to see about a review to overturn Folarin Balogun’s red card against Bosnia.

This duly happened, allowing the striker to face Belgium on Monday. Fifa said the decision was not influenced by Trump, but the ensuing row dominated the final days of the US World Cup campaign.

It also throws up questions still being considered after the US have been eliminated by Belgium.

Is there shock at Trump’s act? Or was something like this grimly predictable?

To what extent is it unprecedented, even in the chequered history of Fifa?

Does it taint this World Cup’s integrity?

What about Mauricio Pochettino? A respected coach at the elite level, where does this leave his standing in the game?

What will be the trickle down effect of other teams looking to get cards overturned?

Will there be consequences, lasting or otherwise, for Fifa or Infantino?
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Still the biggest name in Irish athletics, Rhasidat Adeleke is set to make her long-awaited return to 400m action in America this Friday night – a major step on the road to August’s European Championships in Birmingham.

Former world indoor champion, Olympian and analyst Derval O’Rourke joins Niall Kelly to chart a frustrating two years in Adeleke’s young career, which has seen the 23-year-old largely disappear from the public eye since her fourth-place finish at the Paris Olympics.

Why do we know so little about her progress and plans, and is her US coaching set-up under Edrick Floréal still bringing out the best in one of Ireland’s brightest talents?

What can we expect to see on her return this week, and what will it tell us about her European medal prospects this summer?

With Sharlene Mawdsley in the individual form of her career, could we see two Irish athletes fighting it out for European medals in the 400m? And what can we expect from Team Ireland more generally?
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Sinead O’Carroll is joined by Niall Kelly to tackle the footballing and lingering moral questions around the American World Cup

Pre-competition concerns about swathes of empty seats and mismatches have not come to pass. Instead the World Cup has been the same vibrant and life-affirming festival of football it has nearly always been.

The big stars have shone, the minnows have shown their mettle, the fans have created a magical atmosphere and even the sometimes indifferent citizens of the USA have been swept along with it all.

But will we all feel so positive about this World Cup in years to come? Or will it be tethered to some of the actions of the Trump administrations, such as the treatment of the Iran team and referee Omar Artan, and whatever is to come in the next month?

Or has this World Cup shown the best side of the US, despite Trump? With the America people have flocked to for generations in full technicolour display these past two weeks?
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Sinéad and Gavin nail their colours to the mast as they debate their big sporting predictions for the rest of 2026 and beyond. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.