Two Irish Internationals Were Claimed As British On Sky Sports Tonight

James Fenton

Red alert.

Monday Night Football is underway on Sky Sports this evening and sitting in the mammoth punditry shoes of the absent Gary Neville is current Watford star Troy Deeney.

He’s doing a decent job covering the Southampton and Brighton game alongside Jamie Carragher and David Jones apart from one obvious error.

When assessing the defensive partnership of Brighton’s Shane Duffy and Lewis Dunk, he referred to the duo as “typical English centre-halves”. All well and good except that Shane Duffy hails from Derry and has represented the Republic Of Ireland on 21 occasions.

Of course, people on social media were quick to point out the mistake…

@T_Deeney might want to check Shane Duffy’s nationality there Troy like a good man..

— Danny Kelly (@DannyMKelly) September 17, 2018

David Jones: “What do you think about Shane Duffy and Lewis Dunk, Troy?”

Troy Deeney: “They’re just typical English centre halves.”

Shane Duffy is Irish ????????????#PremierLeague #SOUBHA #Deeney #Confusion pic.twitter.com/SlNH72A66d

— Owen McGuinness (@OmcguinnessO) September 17, 2018

Deeney just called Shane Duffy English ????

— Stephen Lawlor (@stephenl15) September 17, 2018

@SkySportsPL @SkySportsMNF need to tell @T_Deeney that Shane Duffy is Irish meaning that he is not your ‘typical English centre half’ #MNF #SOUBRI

— Damian Delaney (@DamoDelaldo) September 17, 2018

If that wasn’t enough to get Irish blood boiling, commentator Alan Parry later referred to the two managers on the sideline as “British coaches” despite the fact that Brighton’s Chris Hughton won 53 caps for the Republic between 1979 and 1991. Although this error is a bit more forgivable since Hughton was born in England and qualified to play for Ireland through his mother.

Still, it didn’t go unnoticed either…

@SkySportsPL can you please correct your commentator at tonight s game with Southampton and Brighton as he said 2 British managers! It’s a long time since Britain had any control of Ireland where Chris Hughton is from!

— Colm molloy (@manmashman1) September 17, 2018

Chris Hughton – British manager. That’s a new one on me! #SOUBHA

— Cönor Whelan (@Conorwhelanire) September 17, 2018

Hey @SkySportsMNF not “two British managers #SOUBRI” . Chris Hughton is Ghanaian Irish with 53 caps for Ireland.

— Joe Lowry (@lowryjoe) September 17, 2018

You never get away with this carry on too easily, lads. Surely they should know this by now.