Derry City got their European campaign underway last night, drawing 0-0 away from home against Faroe Islands side HB Torshavn.
It was a game of relatively few chances, although the League of Ireland club did create the better of the opportunities. Having been favourites entering the tie, they will be expected to get the job done at the Brandywell next week.
While the action on the pitch was relatively forgettable, the club's supporters will remember one aspect of the fixture away from the field of play.
Derry City European opponents made embarrassing flag error
As is customary during European fixtures, HB Torshavn hoisted what they thought was the national national flag of their opponent ahead of the game.
However, they made a pretty big error.
Perhaps having gotten their information from Wikipedia, they accidentally rose the Northern Ireland flag. That probably didn't send the welcoming message that they hoped it would.
Derry City play a European qualifier tonight in the Faroe Islands. The flag at the venue was incorrect and soon corrected. 🇮🇪 pic.twitter.com/PexE3mj1Be
— GAEL (@GAELDesignShop) July 13, 2023
The issue would soon be rectified.
The home club did manage to replace it with the correct flag before the game.
Derry city fans taking care of a flag issue tonight in their conference league match 😎😂👍 pic.twitter.com/VkQd8oGcAX
— CELTIC NATION🍀⚽️⭐ (@CelticNation67) July 13, 2023
While some had speculated that the flag was changed by Derry fan, HB Torshavn confirmed to Balls this afternoon that this was not the case.
The flag was changed by the groundskeeper at the stadium. Not a fan, as some headlines suggest. The Northern Irish flag was up for less than an hour, and was changed as soon as someone noticed the mistake.
I even heard that a Derry supporter changed the flag during the game. This is not the case, as it was hours before kick-off.
We immediately apologised for the mistake to Derry City officials, and they accepted the apology, saying no harm was done.
The Derry City supporters were absolute class, just focusing on watching a game of football and having a good time.
Of course, Derry City are a somewhat unique club in the landscape of European football. They play in a league that is technically outside their jurisdiction, although their supporters very much consider themselves as a Republic of Ireland club.
It is understandable how those wires could have become crossed for a club unfamiliar with the intricacies of the situation.
In any case, they will be greeted by the tricolour when they arrive in Derry for the return leg on Thursday evening.
The home team will be expected to come out in top on that fixture, hopefully reversing what has been a fairly disappointing week for Irish teams in Europe.
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