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David Healy furious at death threats

Thursday, 23 October 2008

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Northern Ireland striker David Healy has hit out after death threats were made against him on the internet. In a recent post-match interview, the Sunderland player welcomed an international goal he had scored by saying 'the famine is over'.

Healy's goal for Northern Ireland in last week's 4-0 victory over San Marino was his first in the campaign. After the match a smiling Healy told Ulster Televison: “I am pleased to score, the famine, the drought, whatever people would call it is over, and am so pleased to be on the scoreboard.”

But the Healy's comments were portrayed as a reference to Rangers fans' chant - "‘the famine is over, why don`t you go home?" - which has hit the headlines in recent weeks.

A video clip of his post-match interview on Ulster Television placed on an internet site has received thousands of hits and spawned online threats against the player.

Healy said: "I made reference to famine and people have maliciously represented those comments.

"I am hugely disappointed in this. I am very angry.

"Those innocuous post-match comments about scoring for Northern Ireland were maliciously hi-jacked and posted on You Tube and other websites inferring that I was in some way, making reference to a song known as the ‘Famine Song' which has been sung by a section of the Rangers support at Old Firm games.

"My comments have been taken so completely out of context it would be laughable if it wasn't so offensive!

"I’m sure any real football fan will see that there is absolutely no connection between my football related comments and this song.

^{Above: One of the 'chilling' messages about David Healy}

"I’m so disappointed and upset that anyone could even try and make this link. And when told about this I was I was totally bemused. "

UTV have since replayed the entire interview to show its context was harmless.

Healy attracted criticism in July when he mimicked playing the flute - a reference to Orange Order parades - during a friendly match between Celtic and Fulham, who he played for at the time.

Healy made an immediate apology for the incident which he said came after he was heckled by Celtic fans.

Healy YouTube clip

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67 Comments

David will always be scrutinised from the so called "other" community because he is the pin up boy from Our wee team. Its inevitable that when someone is successful those jealous of his success will always look for ways to knock him of his pirch. It's a shame but they are really scraping the barrell with this and also the flute incident. It's quite funny that the people who find this stuff offensive. Healy has never played for Rangers. Do some NI based Celtic fans actually think that he sits and thinks about how can offend them? The man has managed to achieve more in the last 3 years than what a whole generation had done before him. His exploits on the international stage coupled with some excellent team displays managed to get windsor park back to full capacity, some thing that only happened when a big big team where in town. Our football team are back on the map and alot of this is to do with the wee man's displays. Certain sections of certain communities just can't handle this.

Posted by Mark | 25.10.08, 09:15 GMT

Firstly how do you all know the complaints came from hoops fans?
I'm a staunch Celtic man, and i don't find any of these songs racist or whatever, Rangers fans have sung songs for decades and Celts the same, all this P.C stuff is becoming a farce!
Is football becoming that boring we need to resort to this silly tit for tat mince, Utube is breeding a new generation of morons who
get off on leaving all sorts of absolute garbage and mindless comments that are designed to pollute our minds, and some people actually believe all this bile!

C'MON THE HOOPS 4 IN A ROW!

Posted by andybhoy | 24.10.08, 22:57 GMT

maybe we need a committee from Stormount to spend a year and several million pounds to look into the word 'famine'. Can I feel I am annoyed by this word and have it banned like so many other terms in our new PC world. Best thing to do is never speak or write anything ever again - that way no one will be offended and the world will be a better place. GET A LIFE EVERYONE

Posted by Colin | 24.10.08, 22:53 GMT

I really dont think David Healy meant anything by his remark, it was just a turn of phrase -forget it-. I took more offence to his playing an imaginary Orange flute and identifing himself to a bigotted organisation who avoid contact with Catholics and expel any member who marries one. And just think in the 2011 census (according to the Observer in April) the Catholic/Nationalist people will be in the majority in N.Ireland. Ah well I am sure the Down GAA team will welcome him, if he can get his place.

Posted by Trevor | 24.10.08, 22:01 GMT

mark, sw and barry it has plenty to do with celtic fans because the offence has been connected to them because of the famine song that rangers fans seems to sing. catch up!!!??? unless you can explain to me the rational behind why he would get death threats because of using the word famine. please post your insight

i assume most rationally minded celtic fans will not have taken offence because it is what it is. the man scored goals.

im not slating celtic fans because i have no interest in them nor rangers.

any threat on any persons life needs to be taken seriously.

Posted by judy | 24.10.08, 20:34 GMT

some people are far too easily offended. Even if celtic fans are offended by the so called "famine song" Healy said "I am pleased to score, the famine, the drought, whatever people would call it is over" He didnt even say "the famine is over" like the song. What else do you call it when strikers dont score for a while? Are those celtic fans going to complain when people in other leagues talking about the famine being over? where is it going to stop? I bet if that had been any other player there wouldnt have been a sound from those people who are complaining so much now. Those people need to grow up.

Posted by Mark M | 24.10.08, 17:46 GMT

In relation to the Rangers fans singing a song about a famine, I've never heard it but I did here John Ried MP for Shotts stating it was racist, What a dimbo, He made a mess in Northern Ireland, made a mess at the Home Officeand now stating that a caucasion white person can be racist against another white caucasion person is unbelievable in the extreme, If this trouble making idiot was the best Blair/Brown could get for a member of the government God help our beloved Britain, Hey there another one just like him over here in Scotland, Frank Roy MP for Motherwell and Wishaw, He has some crazy ideas about Bertie Ahern visiting a shrine near Motherwell when Glasgow Rangers were playing a football match, Said it would be much too dangerious for Bertie to attend the doo in Cafin, Most Rangers fans don't know where Cafin is let alone make trouble,

Posted by Geordir Kirkpatrick | 24.10.08, 17:45 GMT

firstly, does anyone know if it was David who brought it to the media's attention or the other way round?
Secondly, the famine song as song by Rangers fans may be offensive, but no more so than pro-IRA songs from Celtic.
Thirdly - go to google news and key in the word famine, it appears numerous times in relation to sport and failure to score including a headline in the Irish Independent
Fourthly, the north is Malin Head - Northern Ireland exists as an internationally recognised country and so does its football association - get over it - if not, theres a little bit of Eire just waiting for you.
Finally - Healy may not cut it in the premiership but how many other internationals have scored hat-tricks against the European champions?

Posted by Petesy | 24.10.08, 16:56 GMT

Jim, I'll think you'll find that there is actually no such thing as Ireland. It is the four provinces. It was made into Ireland by the catholic church and british government in order to ease administration and collection of taxes. So how can you have an Ireland team?

Posted by Norm | 24.10.08, 16:41 GMT

RG, thanks for the history lesson. The future of this sport in the Island of Ireland is inevitable. The famine is over and so is the settlement. If you don't like it you can always go over to Ibrox.

Posted by Pat Mac | 24.10.08, 16:30 GMT

Anyone who bought today's Daily Mail will have read on page 5 that "Words like drought have negative connotations for farm families, a report by the (Australian) Drought Policy Review Expert Social Panel found. It suggests dryness is a more palatable option". If only David had known. Keep smiling David; sane people in NI think you are a hero.

Posted by Tom | 24.10.08, 16:24 GMT

I've heard some players describe goals as 'rockets' or scoring 'bullet' headers. Does this mean they're intending to shoot someone or launch an attack???

The plankton that made these comments originally must be delighted with the response they've got.

For everyone's sake, let's stop this childish behaviour and ignore the pre-school behaviour that a completely innocent comment by David Healy has provoked.

Posted by Strucker | 24.10.08, 15:30 GMT

Judy how dare you label this on Celtic fans have you any proof behind this NO so you should keep your narrow minded views to yourself and develop a brain

Posted by SW | 24.10.08, 15:07 GMT

Judy- I agree that this is out of order and his comments have been misinterprated but I think you 'll find Neil Lennon recieved death threats from a paramilitary organisation so I dont think this is as serious, i mean David is hardly going to quit playing for the North over these comments but all the same, this is unacceptable and hope this is all cleared up a.s.a.p

Regards, Flim x

Posted by Flim | 24.10.08, 15:00 GMT

Judy. Yes all threats should be condemned. However, if Celtic or Rangers or whatever club were to comment every time someone posted bile on the internet regarding to an opposition player they wouldn't have time to do anything else. Why should Celtic have to comment on this non story?

Also where in the above story does it say that it was a Celtic fan who wrote the threat? It doesnt.

The medium of the internet gives people who use it a certain degree of anonymity which affords them the ability to make up alternative identity's. Just because someone says the belong to a certain group, club, party or they say the support or are acting in the interests of a certain football fan base doesnt make it so. Like I said in a previous post this could have been started by anyone regardless of who or what they support.

Posted by Barry | 24.10.08, 14:57 GMT

This is all such a lot of nonsense. Firstly Healy himself never said the comments were chilling, all he said was he was angry at his comments being taken out of context and posted all over the internet as if he ws referring to the Famine song as sung by Rangers fans.

As for others saying usually strikers talk of goal droughts, indeed they do, but I aheva lso heard them being referred to as famines or in particular, recently Wayne Rooneys goal scoring exploits for Manchester United and England had his talent being described as "feast or famine" referring to his record of scoring in bursts and then nothing for ages!

Threats are threats no matter how they are made and should be condoned no matter who they are made against!

Posted by RB | 24.10.08, 14:25 GMT

Judy,

What the hell does this have to do with Celtic?

Posted by Mark | 24.10.08, 14:20 GMT

So Chris, one good QUALIFYING campaign is more important than a consistent, goal scoring career for club and country, in the biggest competitions, at some of the biggest clubs in the world?

I think not, wise up!

Posted by Mark | 24.10.08, 14:18 GMT

this is digusting that david has been treated like this. all threats need to be taken seriously. he is a family man and given that neil lennon received threats this should be treated in the same way. condoned. there are some pathetic individauls who have posted pathetic comments here and need to be ashamed of themselves.

david the GAWA are behind you and i hope that celtic will do the decent thing and tell these fans to wise up.

Posted by judy | 24.10.08, 13:35 GMT

Barry,

How would you define a death threat then?
If someone puts a few bob in a phone-box to threaten a player is that a death-threat or not? What's the difference between someone doing that and someone posting up a threat on Youtube (apart from the fact that's it going to be very difficult to catch the idiot).

Posted by Paul | 24.10.08, 13:34 GMT