Senator Jimmy Harte, founder of the Oireachtas Ireland Football Supporters Club, has paid tribute to Manchester United manager, Sir Alex Ferguson, following his announcement that he plans to retire at the end of the current season.
Senator Harte said that Alex Ferguson was one of the most admired figures in the world’s most popular game, and that his achievements are practically second-to-none.
He said that given Sir Alex’s connections to Ireland both through the thousands of Manchester United supporters in this country, and the great local players that he has managed, he would discuss with members of the recently established Oireachtas Ireland Football Supporters Club how they could appropriately honour his achievements.
“While my personal loyalties are primarily to Finn Harps, Liverpool FC, and the Irish national team, I fully recognise the scale of Sir Alex Ferguson’s achievements in the game. He is and always will be a managerial legend.
“Not only that, he remains an extremely socially-minded man, conscious of his roots in Glasgow and expressed through his public support for our sister party, the British Labour Party.
“Given the close connections that exist between Sir Alex Ferguson, Manchester United, and Ireland, and the great Irish players who played under him including Kevin Moran, Paul McGrath, Roy Keane, Denis Irwin, and John O’Shea, I will discuss with my colleagues in the Oireachtas Football Supporters Club how we can organise an appropriate tribute to him.”