Donal Fallon: Death of ‘Palestinian Pele' in Gaza exposes indecisive Fifa and Uefa's hypocrisy
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Sunday World
3 hours ago
- Sunday World
Photo of Kinahan bagman goes viral after he is wrongly identified as IDF general
The article is accompanied by a well-known picture of a hand-cuffed Johnny Morrissey being led away by police after he was arrested in Spain in September 2022 The well-known photograph of Morrissey being led away by police in Spain A photograph of Dutch police arresting an Israeli military commander for 'war crimes' that mistakenly uses an image of Kinahan bagman Johnny Morrisey has gone viral. The story has been fact-checked by news websites that found the story is incorrect and the person pictured in the piece is the wrong one. It was claimed that Israeli Major General Shitan Shaul, commander of the Armoured Corp, was arrested in the Netherlands on charges of committing war crimes in Rafah. 'Charges were brought forward by a human rights organization as he was spotted enjoying his summer vacation on The Hague beach,' the widely-reported story reads. The well-known photograph of Morrissey being led away by police in Spain News in 90 Seconds - August 16th The article is accompanied by a well-known image of a hand-cuffed Johnny Morrissey being led away by police after he was arrested in Spain in September 2022. Fact-checks point out that the photo taken more than three years ago predates the October 7, 2023, Hamas attack on Israel. 'The image was originally published online to illustrate news reports about a suspected Irish gangster's arrest in Spain,' one fact-checking website reports. It adds that Morrissey, 'known as Johnny Cash for the wads of bank notes he carried with him, is suspected of laundering more than €200 million (£174m) for the Kinahan gang, a criminal network whose leadership have been in hiding from European and US authorities.' The article incorrectly claims this is Israeli Major General Shitan Shaul Fact-checkers also highlight the fact that in the photo 'the officer to the detainee's left is not wearing the uniform of a Dutch police agency'. 'Her vest is clearly marked 'Guardia Civil' which is Spain's nationwide police force. 'Behind her walks a man wearing the insignia of Ireland's Garda, the Emerald Isle's national police agency.' Morrisey was one of seven senior Kinahan cartel associates sanctioned by the US Department of the Treasury's (DOT) Office of Foreign Assets Control in April 2022. The Manchester native who was the Kinahans' alleged money man was arrested at his villa on the Costa Del Sol in September of that year. Authorities say he may have used the Hawala money transfer system to launder €200 million of drug money in 18 months. Morrissey was taken into custody and spent almost two years behind bars in Alhaurin de la Torre prison, Malaga, before he was released on bail in June 2024. Under the Spanish legal system, suspects do not face formal charges until their trial begins, but they can be held in custody as a person of interest. Described as a 'highly-dangerous and violent man', he is suspected of running the elaborate drugs-money laundering operation on behalf of the Kinahan Cartel, as well as for other gangs. Police say he was at the centre of 'the most important money laundering operation in Spain' and that €350,000 a day was washed through his organisation. The Kinahan organised crime group is alleged to have established ties with Hezbollah through the use of the Hawala system. The Shia Islamist group, who are classified as a terrorist organisation by the United States, have used the system in Europe to finance their activities and deal drugs. When the Kinahan cartel was sanctioned by US authorities in 2022, Morrissey was named as a key cartel enforcer who was laundering money through his alcohol company, Nero Vodka. The company, which was run by his wife Nicola, allowed him to present the image of a legitimate entrepreneur. The glamorous businesswoman was arrested alongside her husband in 2022 but was later released without charge. Hawala is an informal money transfer system that allows for funds to be moved through intermediaries known as "hawaladars', without the money itself ever moving across jurisdictions. A hawaladar in one country can take receipt of the money from one payer before contacting a hawaladar in another country who will pay out the equivalent sum in cash or goods to the payee. No documentation is kept or recorded and the system works on trust between the hawaladars. The traditional method is popular in parts of Asia and Africa, particularly among migrant workers who send money to their families. However, the informal nature of the system, which is untraceable, has made it a popular way to exchange money linked to terrorism, drugs and money laundering.
Irish Independent
6 hours ago
- Irish Independent
A final repeat and a tasty Dublin derby in Inchicore – this weekend's FAI Cup third round previews
(Ryan McBride Brandywell, 8pm) Team news: Derry have a full squad to choose from, bar Cameron Dummigan who's still making progress in his rehab. United hope to recall Paul Doyle but Elicha Ahui, Steve Zishim Bawa and Scott Brady remain absent. Talking point: Derry boss Tiernan Lynch said this week he expects a tight battle along the lines of their disappointing 0-0 draw at home to Cork last week. Bar that 3-0 loss in Derry in June, Drogheda have been solid away from home, where they give up few chances, and City will need to work harder than they have done. Just one goal scored in four league games is a real concern. This one could go all the way to penalties but Derry could knock out the holders and gain revenge for last year's final defeat. Odds: Derry 1/2, Drogheda 9/2, draw 13/5 Verdict: Derry in extra-time SUNDAY ST PATRICK'S ATHLETIC v SHELBOURNE (Richmond Park, 5pm) Team news: Pat's are missing Romal Palmer, Seán Hoare, Aidan Keena, Zack Elbouzedi and Anto Breslin. Shels carry on without Seán Boyd, Conor Kearns and Jack Henry-Francis. Talking point: This is a massive tie for both clubs in terms of European aspirations for next season, especially as the FAI Cup winners now enter the Europa League with all those benefits. It's been even in their league meetings (a win for each and a draw). The Saints showed in Istanbul that their squad players can deliver, and while Shels have options too, that bench can get Pat's over the line, maybe in extra-time or on penalties. ADVERTISEMENT Learn more Ref: Paul McLaughlin Odds: Pat's 10/11, Shels 5/2, draw 11/5 Verdict: Pat's in extra-time SHAMROCK ROVERS v LONGFORD TOWN (Tallaght Stadium, 7pm) Team news: Rovers assess their squad after Thursday's European exertions, but there is still no place for the exiled Jack Byrne. However, Stephen Bradley can rotate with ease. Eric Yoro is the main concern for Longford. Talking point: While Rovers have been thriving in Europe, it's been a rough summer for Longford. Last week's win over Treaty United was a rare success in the league but while that 2-0 win and clean sheet did halt the flood of goals conceded, Longford just can't compete with the squad strength of the Hoops.
The 42
6 hours ago
- The 42
Shelbourne's European adventure: Belfast, Baku, Batman, Croatian cages and German groundhoppers
BELFAST (A) IT'S NOT EVEN noon and the cans are out, while the rashers and sausages sizzle on the stove. The sizzle is most noticeable during the moments of silence when the nerves and anticipation for the day ahead are at their strongest. The sitting room of this house bordering Botanic Gardens is a pool of red, thanks to all in attendance being kitted out in matching 'Riverside International' t-shirts. This isn't the only border in question today. In three hours time more than ten buses will head up the M1 from Tolka Park, with Shelbourne selling out their 1,300 allocation for the trip to face Irish League champions Linfield at Windsor Park. The incentive to prevail could hardly be bigger. A draw in Windsor Park would be enough to send Joey O'Brien's men into the next stage of Champions League Qualifiers, and secure €1.7 million in European prize money before the squad even have to board a flight. Any nerves from Shels fans heading to Belfast are likely caused by the fact that the tie wasn't killed off after their side's dominant performance in that opening encounter. In between the moments of silence, we do actually manage to speak: 'We'll have enough to hold on, won't we?' 'We're owed a nice decision from VAR after having that penalty overturned last week, aren't we?' No, unfortunately the Reds fall victim to VAR once again in Windsor Park, but thankfully it doesn't matter in the end. _____________ 25' GOAL Ali Coote: Linfield 0-1 Shelbourne (Agg 0-2) 45+3 GOAL Chris Shields: Linfield 1-1 Shelbourne (Agg 1-2) 45+6 GOAL: Kerr McInroy: Linfield 1-2 Shelbourne (Agg 1-3) ___________ Right on the stroke of half time! Shels instantly hit back to cancel out Chris Shields' penalty. The 1,300 reds in the North stand erupt, spilling down the steps in ecstasy. But unfortunately, these are the Uefa big leagues, where the first commandant is 'Thou shalt not celebrate a goal until the Virtual Assistant Referee grants you permission'. The goal is ruled out and Shels' aggregate advantage is halved. There are no second-half goals and the Reds book their place in the next round, but an air of frustration still lingers because of the use of technology: 'I had people embracing me with tears in their eyes when that goal went in and during the celebrations afterwards because of the significance,' Donnchadh Mac Aogáin, host of the 'Here to See The Shelbourne' podcast says. 'There are times in games when a goal is worth almost more than a goal and after we had just conceded in the way that we had, Linfield really felt like they were back in it, so this was an absolute sucker punch to hit them with. I don't think they would have recovered from that and it really felt more significant than just going ahead on the night.' For Mac Aogáin, it wasn't the extreme harshness of the decision to rule the goal out for the slightest Paddy Barrett interference that caused frustration. Instead it's the stripping away of the authenticity and spontaneity that makes football the beautiful game which provokes his ire. 'To have that moment taken away in such an insipid, clinical, boring, drawn out way, there's just no enjoyment in it. 'The issue is that you've just undercut everyone's raw emotion and now the immediacy of what happens on the field is completely undermined which means that every time a goal is scored for you or the opposition your first thought is 'maybe it's going to be checked' or 'something might have happened there'. 'If you do that everything is in jeopardy of being overturned and then you celebrate nothing. Everybody is looking around, that initial burst that we all go to football for, that we've all loved football for since we were children is quenched and you're looking around for a flag or a sign of a box or a rectangle and a referee running over to the sideline. 'That's not the football I want to be a part of frankly and if push comes to shove and we hear that VAR is being considered for the League of Ireland, I think rivalries aside, fan groups need to come together and petition and petition hard to stop that.' Afterwards, Shels don't rue the VAR decisions that have rightly or wrongly gone against them across the two legs. And boy did we celebrate at full-time. Down on the Windsor Park surface, the trio of Evan Caffrey, Sean Boyd and Paddy Barrett take turns waving the tricolour thrown down from the travelling crowd, before Joey O'Brien and Mipo Odubeko are singled out with chants of appreciation for their efforts. Ryan Byrne / INPHO Ryan Byrne / INPHO / INPHO There is one song sung loudest by a small cohort of Reds as we make our way for the exit signs at Windsor Park, however: 'Baku away ole ole'. And there is only one discussion as we begin our journey back to Dublin. 'How on earth are we going to get to Azerbaijan?' Baku (A) It's an early Tuesday afternoon when our trio meet up in Dublin Airport. Had we arrived a couple of hours earlier thinking we may have had the opportunity to throw some jibes at the St Patrick's Athletic players as they prepared for their flight to Tallinn to face Kalju in the Europa Conference League second qualifying round. With no rivals to stick it to, we make way for the bar to grab our first, but certainly not final beer of what would go on to be a trip of a lifetime. Advertisement 'Jaysus lads, yiz are hardly making the trip over?' a man asks us. 'I'm Rovers meself but let me tell you about my grandad…' This piques our interest. 'His name was John Ledwidge and he scored more goals in a single game for Shels than anyone else. Look it up on Wikipedia!' After he leaves we Google it and the story holds firm. 1929, what a significant year in Irish history; the restoration of the General Post Office in Dublin, the jailing of Éamon de Valera, the formal closure of Kilmainham Gaol, oh, and good auld John Ledwidge's six goals in a 9-1 victory over Jacobs. 96 years on, we could do with a John Ledwidge-esque performance if the Reds are to have any chance of rescuing this tie after the 3-0 finish in last week's Tolka Park clash with Qarabag. There's around ten reds on our connecting flights from Dublin to Istanbul and onto Baku, with around 70 making the trip in total. As we touch down in Istanbul and see the other Shels heads trickle off the plane alongside us, there's only one thought on the mind: Reds in Istanbul needing a miracle to turn around a three-goal deficit in the Champions League. A 4,372km trip across the world, all for a dead rubber tie. A first ever journey outside of Europe for myself – to see a European game in Asia. And following on from the first-round clash against Linfield this is Shels' second European away game of the season without touching the European Union. Time for the second flight of the day. To pass some time on the journey from Istanbul to Baku, I sit back to enjoy Christopher Nolan's 'The Dark Knight'. I scribble down a couple of iconic lines that I might use in this piece you're reading now, if they end up being relevant to the match. Maybe if Joey O'Brien picks a completely second string squad and Shels get beaten out the gate I'll end up borrowing the Joker's quote: 'Nobody panics when things go according to plan. Even if the plan is horrifying…. Because it's all part of the plan.' In the extremely unlikely case that Qarabag fall apart on their home patch, perhaps I'll make the argument that Shels made their own luck just like Harvey Dent. Unfortunately, but unsurprisingly, Shels fall to a very respectful 1-0 defeat in Baku and as I watch the players approach us to show their appreciation for the journey that we have made, it is Heath Ledger's famous Joker line when fighting his nemesis that springs to mind: 'I think you and I are destined to do this forever.' In the Shels end there are fans of all ages and backgrounds. It's impossible not to notice the small boy beside us who is no older than ten with a Qarabağ ultra tattoo. Has he been sent in as a spy of sorts to keep an eye on us? Who bloody knows! Elsewhere there is an Irishman who works in the oil industry in Baku who was never going to miss the chance of seeing an Irish club play on his doorstep. To only lose by one goal against a side of the quality of Qarabağ is a testament to the Reds' character, especially given the severe heat in the Tofiq Bahramov Republican Stadium. Despite it being a nighttime match, it's still comfortably hotter than 25 degrees. With Azerbaijan being a predominantly Muslim country situated at the crossroads of Eastern Europe and Western Asia, perhaps it should be unsurprising that there are such extreme levels of policing in the ground. But it definitely feels like too much. There are guards everywhere we look in and around the ground, while army men spread themselves around the running track circling the pitch for the entirety of the encounter, staring into our souls. Despite no row in our end being completely full, there is still a designated police officer for each one. When the Shelbourne players finally make their way to the tunnel after showing their gratitude to those who have followed them to a different continent, they are swiftly followed by various units of marching army troops whose day of work has come to an end. After the game, we make a beeline for the main street outside the ground, desperately attempting to hail down a taxi. We're in a rush, big time. After what feels like an eternity, we finally get lucky. We whizz through the streets of Baku, and are dropped off at a bar. It's not a drink we need, it's Wifi. We swiftly pull up the LiveScore app on our phones to monitor the end of the PFC Ludogorets Razgrad v HNK Rijeka tie, where the losers will play Shels in the Europa League third round qualifier. We're utterly desperate for Ludogorets to win as travelling to Razgrad in northeastern Bulgaria looks a complicated task. With the game ending 1-1 on the night and 2-2 on aggregate, our wait is excruciating, especially when the Bulgarian side have a winner disallowed in additional time. Some Shels fans in the pub pull the trigger before VAR rules that winner out (add that to the list of VAR gripes), but thankfully two goals in extra time for the home side knock nine-man Rijeka down to the Europa League. Quickly, we book our route to and from Croatia for the game in seven days time, which includes visits to Brussels, Eindhoven and Amsterdam along the way. But before we can think about that journey, we have to get home from Baku. The next day we board our first flight home and with nothing to do but kill time, I decide to throw on another film. The classic Good Will Hunting is the movie of choice. Maybe I'll even find another nice quote or two. Early in the film Ben Affleck's character Chuckie Sullivan exclaims: 'There is no Irish curse.' Unfortunately for the Shels fans attempting to head home, there is. Having only slept for a maximum of 10 hours in a 72 hour period, it's not particularly appreciated when you are stuck on this boiling hot plane on the runway for three hours due to 'engine issues'. It would be one thing to get stuck in Istanbul, and perhaps have to book new flights home via London or somewhere else in the UK, but we really could do without getting stuck in Baku, this far from home. By the time I reach the emotional end of the film, we still haven't left the tarmac, although thankfully we are shortly informed that we will in fact be departing momentarily. As the air hostess approaches to check our seat belts and to apologise for the delay, I look at him, and just like Robin Williams tells Matt Damon in that famous therapy scene, I say: 'It's not your fault.' Due to the loss of time we miss our second flight from Istanbul to Dublin, by ten minutes! Thankfully there's another plane due to leave for Dublin in a few hours which at this point we're just grateful to be switched onto free of charge. At least when we finally get back home at lunchtime on Friday, we'll be able to recharge the batteries over the weekend before Croatia. 'Oh f**k, we've got Sligo away tomorrow.' RIJEKA (A) Bedlam. Absolute chaos. There's pints in the air, some of us are on the deck and others are scaling the cage. That's the HNK Rijeka Stadium Rujevica away end cage, I should add. It looks like this: Less than 15 minutes ago, you could back Shels at prices as wide as 100/1 to overturn a 1-0 deficit away to the Croatian champions, but John Martin has just completed the comeback with a sensational header. I embrace with my friends, and others who I don't know quite as well. I hug a stranger next, which is slightly unusual at an away European game where you generally recognise everyone. I quickly realise that this is a tourist at their first ever Shels game, not a bad one to pick! _______________ Janik Baricevic was one of a group of six young German football fans holidaying in Trieste, Italy, when the small bar they were drinking in was taken over by Shelbourne fans who were en route to Rijeka. After a quick chat, the Germans were extended an invite to join the red wall in the Croatian cage. Until now, Janik and his friends had only heard of Shelbourne and the League of Ireland in general through the Fifa video game, but soon they would be hooked and become fans for life. With the match less than 24 hours away, there certainly wasn't time for Janik and co to go searching for six Shels jerseys, so they went for the next best thing. The next day, the day of the game, the group raided a TopMan store for six matching red tees and made way for pre-match festivities. 'The whole thing was crazy, we really enjoyed it,' Janik tells The 42. 'Especially before the game when we met at the shopping centre and had some beers before going with the Shelbourne fans to the away end. Everybody was so nice. It was unreal. 'So many fans came to us and just said, 'Oh, you're the German lads', and how nice it was that we were there, and that they were so happy we were supporting their team in this match. 'So, yeah, everybody was really friendly and when the game started and especially after that second goal, it was crazy. It was unbelievable. It was a beautiful experience. 'We even got tattoos a few days later. Three of our six friends got tattoos of the Shelbourne logo, the three castles.' I wasn't exaggerating when I said they became fans for life. The TopMan tees and new tats were essentially free of charge, Janik says: 'We looked the game up on a betting site before the game and said 'Ok, let's just get everybody to bet like €10, it wasn't that much. So six of us together bet like €60 for Shelburne to win and we ended up winning a little bit over €800. It was like 15/1 for a win for Shelbourne. So it was even more incredible to win against Rijeka after that. The feeling was crazy. The money was gone straight away! We had an unbelievable day after that, getting our tattoos with the money and everything. It was crazy.' Janik's group all hail from Munich, with one following Bayern Munich and the rest supporting the more romantic option of struggling third division club, 1860 Munich. Without a doubt, there are parallels to be drawn between 1860's current situation and Shelbourne's not so distant dark days. '1860 Munich is quite famous because of its past. They played in the top division previously, but in past years we are in the third division and not doing so well in football. But for the fans, just like with Shelbourne, the fans from 1860 Munich are so crazy into it as well, and they are just supporting everyone in the team and it's a crazy atmosphere. I saw that as well in the Shelbourne away end against Rijeka. It was crazy, even if Shels were the outsiders or the underdogs, their fans were all supporting like crazy, wow it was so amazing.' As a third tier club longing for a return to the top flight, it is utterly unsurprising that fans and owners have not always seen eye to eye, as is the case in Shelbourne's recent history, namely the Save Tolka Park campaign, as well as former owner Acun Ilıcalı's desires to remove Damien Duff as club manager in 2023. 'We have a few issues in our relationship between the fans and the club owners,' Janik says. 'It's kind of tough because the recent investors didn't work out so well. But to be honest, the atmosphere and the feeling now that the league has started is a bit better. They have played two games and we haven't lost yet, so we hope it's going to end up good and we're going to get to the second German division again because it's our dream. 'Despite the years in the third division and the quality of football, we are still supporting with all of our hearts and so we hope that they're going to achieve that step again back towards eventually winning the first division in Germany, like Bayern Munich our big rival who do it all the time and playing internationally in Europe. We want that as well for our club.' Maybe one day in the future it will be 1860 Munich having some famous nights in Europe, and I'm sure there'll be some Dubliners among the 1860 supporters to return the favour.
