free web stats Denise O’Sullivan accuses FAI of ‘lacking class’ over Colin Healy’s acrimonious exit as Ireland assistant – open Dazem

Denise O’Sullivan accuses FAI of ‘lacking class’ over Colin Healy’s acrimonious exit as Ireland assistant


DENISE O’Sullivan has again hit out at the FAI over the nature of Colin Healy’s exit from the Ireland women’s team set-up.

In December she had first voiced her frustration with a role at the Association not being found for him after the Eileen Gleeson/Healy coaching ticket wasn’t kept in place.

29 November 2024; Denise O'Sullivan of Republic of Ireland during the UEFA Women's EURO 2025 Play-off Round Two first leg match between Wales and Republic of Ireland at Cardiff City Stadium in Wales. Photo by Harry Murphy/Sportsfile
The playmaker feels he should’ve been kept on in some capacity within the FAI

Since then Healy himself has stated he will lodge a formal complaint with the FAI over his time there being terminated.

Healy claimed that he was told by FAI Chief Football Officer Marc Canham that he would recommend to the board that he be offered a contract extension a month before it was announced that an entirely new staff would be taking charge.

That was at a time when Healy had been offered the post at Cobh Ramblers, a role he ultimately turned down to stay working with Ireland.

The former Sunderland midfielder had also mentioned how he considered his options over Christmas after a difficult year when his wife Kelly sadly passed away

O’Sullivan, has again spoken up in defence of her fellow Cork native’s ability as a coach along with the esteem he’s regarded in as a person among the entire Irish squad.

She explained to Irish Football Fan TV: “Coaches being let go, that’s normal, it’s part of the game.

“But I think it was the manner it was done in, I think it was disrespectful. I think it lacked class, I think it lacked compassion.

“Working with Colin, I don’t have one bad thing to say about him.

“He’s an incredible man, a really excellent coach, but I don’t even want to get into the coaching side because everyone who knows Colin knows how good a coach he is.

“There’s a way to do things and there’s a way to treat people and it wasn’t the right thing to do.


“I’m really disappointed it happened the way it did.”

She added: “I love playing for Ireland but I think this is a step backwards.

“It left a bad taste in my mouth, the way that happened.

“It’s not about them letting a coach go, that happens in football, but there is a manner in the way you treat people and I think it could have been done very, very differently.

“He’s a great man. He was dedicated in the whole of last year to the national team, with the challenges he faced as a person in his life, it’s a person’s welfare.

“It affects their family and when that happens I need to speak about it.

“I can’t just stay quiet and that’s why I have voiced my opinion on that.

“I would be disappointed in myself if I didn’t speak up. It was handled really poorly in my opinion.”

Amid the shadow continuing to loom over the WNT, new boss Carla Ward will oversee her first games in charge later this month.

The 41-year-old faces a pair of Nations League fixtures on February 21 and 25 against Turkey and Slovenia respectively.

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