Northern Ireland manager Tanya Oxtoby to miss Euro 2025 qualifying game in Bosnia due to illness

A scoreless draw on Friday in Belfast marked a first UEFA Women’s Euro 2025 qualifying fixture for Oxtoby and her squad – and now the international boss has been ruled out of the midweek road test in Zenica.

A statement by the Irish Football Association highlighted “Tanya Oxtoby has fallen ill from a virus which has affected a small number of the Northern Ireland squad over the past week” and that “the team will be led by Stuart McLaren, who has been the main coach of the squad during the current international window”.

Angela Platt, the Irish FA’s director of women’s football, said: “The senior women’s group have had a small number of incidents of sickness (vomiting and diarrhoea) during the past week in camp, impacting a small number of staff and players.

“This has been managed by our medical team in camp to try to minimise any further impact across the squad and staff team.

"The steps taken included isolation of anyone symptomatic or who had potential contact with anyone symptomatic and also minimising any further contact through the staff and playing group.

“Unfortunately Tanya became very unwell on Saturday evening in Dublin before our travel to Bosnia on Sunday morning and the decision was taken for her to remain in Dublin and reassess how she was for potential to travel at a later time.

“She is still too unwell to travel at this stage and will not be leading the team against Bosnia tomorrow. The team will instead be led by Stuart McLaren.”

McLaren is a recent addition to the Northern Ireland backroom team by Oxtoby, with the pair previously having worked together with Scotland’s senior women’s team in 2021.

Oxtoby was assistant to McLaren within the Scotland set-up, with the Glasgow-born coach also counting spells in Australia with Brisbane Strikers and North Queensland Fury on his CV.

McLaren returned to the UK in 2011 to become head coach at Loughborough University before taking over as Stirling Albion manager and in roles within Scotland’s international structure. The 48-year-old left a position as Celtic under 18s’ manager last year.

Support for McLaren in Bosnia will be provided by the Irish FA girls’ elite youth academy manager Danielle McDowell Tuffey and goalkeeping coach Roy Carroll.

Northern Ireland’s qualification group also includes Portugal – with the top three sides in the four-team table moving into the play-off stages of the Euro 2025 qualification process.