MINISTER DEFENDS TIE

A GOVERNMENT minister has shot down opposition to the NFL clash between the Pittsburgh Steelers and Minnesota Vikings at Croke Park on Sunday.

- BY MICHAEL SCULLY

Former Dublin footballer Michael Darragh Macauley is among those who have expressed unease about the fixture going ahead at GAA HQ, with the All-Ireland winner claiming this week that the game is 'planting a flag of America in Ireland'.

The Government's decision to pay the €10m requested by NFL chiefs for the first regular season game in the capital has also come in for criticism.