Captain's sister condemns online abuse by football fans

Sarah Harrigan said online abuse of players by some of their own fans was toxic

Sarah Harrigan Sarah Harrigan in a restaurant with people in the background. She has blonde hair and wears a white-gray sweater. — Sarah Harrigan said online abuse of players by some of their own fans was toxic

The sister of Derry City captain Patrick McEleney has criticized the online abuse directed at the team by some fans following the cup final defeat as “toxic and hurtful”.

Derry City were defeated 2-0 by Drogheda United on Sunday in a shock defeat at Dublin’s Aviva Stadium in front of 20,000 Candystripes fans.

Sarah Harrigan, whose brothers Patrick and Shane both play for the team, said the online abuse she and fellow players were subjected to brought her to tears.

Derry City Football Club and the Football Association of Ireland (FAI) have been contacted for comment.

Derry City captain Patrick McEleney (centre) with brother and teammate Shane and sisters (L-R) Shona, Bronagh and Sarah

Family ceremony Derry City captain Patrick McEleney (centre) with brother and teammate Shane and sisters (L-R) Shona, Bronagh and Sarah — Derry City captain Patrick McEleney (centre) with brother and teammate Shane and sisters (L-R) Shona, Bronagh and Sarah

“Shane and Patrick are very resilient and experienced, and they’ve settled in well, but as a person I’m not going to lie, I cried,” Sarah told BBC Radio Foyle’s Northwest Today program.

“It’s this minority of online abusers… I don’t even call them trolls anymore; I call them abusers because some of the things they say just take it to the next level.

“As a family I can only speak for myself, but it does have an impact on me. Luckily my father doesn’t have social media, but my mother does.

“It certainly affects you when you read things about your own brothers.”

FAI Cup disappointment

The defeat came after a disappointing season for Derry, who finished fourth in the league and missed the chance to win their seventh FAI Cup.

It also means they have missed an opportunity to play European football next season.

But for season ticket holder Sarah, the online abuse the players were exposed to has gone too far.

She was particularly hurt by comments that some players were “not fit to wear the shirt”.

“There are other comments saying they wanted people to leave, but these are their jobs,” she said.

“Behind the scenes I admire the dedication that these players have put in week in and week out over the years, because they miss family functions, they miss funerals, they miss baptisms, and that is the dedication they give to their club.

“And no one knows from one day to the next what these players will have to deal with in their own lives and then have to deal with online abuse; that’s not fun.”

Sarah said Derry City and the FAI needed to take a tougher stance against those who abuse players and officials online.

She did not call for sanctions against those involved, but said the club and the FAI needed to establish policies to ensure they were “held accountable”.