Michael O’Neill wants Northern Ireland fans to support Casement Park plans

A section of fans in the Kop Stand at Windsor Park could be heard chanting “You can shove your Casement Park up your h***”, while there were also “No Casement” banners.

Casement Park is due to host five games when Euro 2018 comes to the United Kingdom and Ireland, and Northern Ireland could be playing in three of those if they qualify for the tournament.

But the stadium currently lies derelict, with the project to redevelop it as the 34,500-capacity home of the Antrim Gaelic Athletic Association plagued by delays and questions over funding.

Even if those are solved, many Northern Ireland fans have said they do not want to attend games at a venue which is named after an Irish revolutionary and located in predominantly nationalist west Belfast.

The counter-argument is that, given the 18,500-capacity Windsor Park falls well short of UEFA requirements for a major tournament, the Casement Park project was the only realistic option available for the Irish FA to be part of the Euros bid.

“Everyone is entitled to their opinion on it,” O’Neill said ahead of Tuesday’s Euro 2024 qualifier at home to Slovenia.

“This is what the association have done in terms of the bid. There’s a lot of opinion on that, we have to take that into account. Supporters, of course, are equally as important as anyone in this situation, but I can’t change it.

“I would like to see it supported. I think it’s really important we get the opportunity to play and be a host nation, but equally I respect the opinions of everyone and what their view may be on it.”

Last week the Amalgamation of Official Northern Ireland Supporters’ Clubs raised safety concerns about fans attending Northern Ireland games at the venue, and asked how football in the country could “tangibly benefit” from hosting Euro 2028 if a redeveloped Casement is used.

The Irish FA said it had responded to the points raised and would remain in dialogue with supporters.

With the hosting rights to the tournament now awarded, it was hoped the project would move forward given the tight deadline to complete it, but the protests heard on Saturday reflect a number of ongoing questions.

When the Casement Park project was first approved in 2011, the GAA pledged to commit £15million towards a total budget of £77.5million, with the rest coming from Stormont.

But since then the budget has soared, now estimated to be between £120million and £160million. The GAA is not willing to go beyond its original pledge, while the DUP has warned there will be “big questions” for the UK government to answer if it makes up the shortfall during a budget squeeze.

It seems inevitable that protests will be heard again on Tuesday and, while O’Neill accepts he can do nothing to stop that, he urged supporters to remain behind his team.

“I don’t think it affects the team directly,” he said of the chants. “But it means they’re not saying something positive about the team, they’re not signing ‘Green And White Army’, they’re singing something else.

“It can affect the atmosphere in the stadium…I think this stadium has been such a positive place to play since the stadium has been redeveloped. I think we should hang on to that.”