Gianluca Pagliuca takes the ball out of the net after Ray Houghton put Ireland 1-0 up against Italy during the USA World Cup in June 1994. Highlighting the “groundswell of support for our team”, he said Irish fans traditionally travel in great numbers. “Against this background, we are very concerned that there should be an adequate supply of tickets for Irish supporters planning to travel to World Cup ’94. Separate files outline the amount of public money spent for government ministers and other officials to go to World Cup games. The file noted that, given the “one-off nature” of World Cup trips, the comptroller and auditor general spending watchdog was likely to closely examine records.

Source: The Irish Times December 29, 2025 06:15 UTC