Republic of Ireland boss Heimir Hallgrimsson clarifies League of Ireland ‘career change’ comments

Republic of Ireland boss Heimir Hallgrimsson has clarified comments he made in the wake of Shamrock Rovers’ success in European competition earlier this season.

In December, Hallgrimsson said he hoped Rovers players would get “career change from this success” after the Dublin club reached the Uefa Conference League play-off round.

It prompted an angry response from Rovers boss Stephen Bradley, who labelled, external the remarks “incredibly disrespectful”.

However, Hallgrimsson insists he meant no offence to Rovers or the League of Ireland.

“If I said it in a way that players need to leave to get into the national team that was not the way it was meant,” said the Icelandic coach.

“My English is not perfect, but if I said it in a wrong way, I apologise for that. That is not my feeling. It was not meant as a disrespect to the League of Ireland.”

The 57-year-old highlighted his previous willingness to call up domestic-based players in his roles with Iceland and Jamaica.

“If you look at my past as a national team coach, I have regularly taken domestic players into the national team just to shake the boat and to respect the league,” Hallgrimsson explained.

“If you do as well as Shamrock Rovers did you are playing at the level we are comparing the other players to.

“I was complimenting Rovers and what is probably going to happen that if you do good in European competitions you draw attention to the club and there will be big attention on the players and the coach.”