1949–50 British Home Championship

World Cup qualifying

FIFA offered two places at the 1950 FIFA World Cup to the winners and runners up of the competition. However Scotland insisted they would only enter if they won the championship outright and even though they finished second, the Scottish FA declined the opportunity to enter a team in the World Cup finals for the first time. FIFA subsequently offered their place to both France, the runners-up in Group 3 and Ireland (FAI), the runners-up in Group 5. However both teams also declined the invitation. Despite winning the championship, England failed to impress at the World Cup. After defeating Chile 2–0 they then lost 1–0 to both the United States and Spain and failed to qualify for the second stage.

Last all-Ireland team

Until 1950 there were, in effect, two Ireland teams, chosen by two rival associations. Both associations, the Belfast-based IFA and the Dublin-based FAI claimed jurisdiction over the whole of Ireland and selected players from the whole island. As a result, several notable Irish players from this era played for both teams.

The game between the IFA XI and Wales at the Racecourse Ground, Wrexham on 8 March 1950 marked the end of an era in Irish football history. The result was irrelevant, as both teams had lost their previous games and had nothing to play for but pride. However, the 0–0 draw saw the IFA XI field an all-Ireland team for the last time. The team included four players - Tom Aherne, Reg Ryan, Davy Walsh and the captain, Con Martin - who were born in what is now the Republic of Ireland. Since this game was also a qualifier for the 1950 FIFA World Cup, the situation led to controversy. All four players had previously played for the FAI XI in their qualifiers. Both Martin and Walsh had even scored for the FAI XI. As a result, the four players actually played for two different associations in the same FIFA World Cup tournament.

FIFA intervened, after complaints from the FAI, and subsequently restricted players' eligibility based on the political border. In 1953 FIFA ruled neither team could be referred to as Ireland, decreeing that the FAI team be officially designated as the Republic of Ireland, while the IFA team was to become Northern Ireland. The IFA objected and in 1954 were permitted to continue using the name Ireland in the British Home Championship. This practice was discontinued in the late 1970s.

Table

Results

Waddell Steel Reilly Mason |kick-off 3pm]

Milburn |kick-off 3pm

Linwood |kick-off 2:30pm

Froggatt Pearson Mortensen Brennan |kick-off 2:30pm

|kick-off 4:15pm

|kick-off 3pm

Team squads

{{fb|ENG}}

Head coach: ENG Walter Winterbottom

{{fb|SCO}}

Head coach: none, SFA Selection Committee

{{fb|IRE|name=Ireland (IFA)}}

Head coach: none, managed by a committee

References

References

1. [https://www.rsssf.org/tables/50q.html rsssf.org]
2. [https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/075481453X ''The World Encyclopedia of Football'' (2004): Tom Macdonald]
3. [https://www.amazon.ca/dp/1851589392 ''The Boys In Green - The FAI International Story'' (1997): Sean Ryan]
4. [https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=sVtAAAAAIBAJ&sjid=sIwMAAAAIBAJ&pg=2821%2C7156667 Official Blundering Leads To Scottish Defeat], The Glasgow Herald, 17 April 1950
5. [https://www.londonhearts.com/scores/images/1950/1950041503.htm Scots May Yet Take Part In World Cup Series {{! Strong Pressure On Selectors To Change Decision], The Scotsman, 17 April 1950, via London Hearts Supports Club
6. [http://www.independent.ie/sport/soccer/invitation-to-world-cup-turned-down-477575.html www.independent.ie]
7. ''The World Cup - The Complete History'' (2002): Terry Crouch
8. ''The Boys in Green - The FAI International Story'' (1997): Sean Ryan
9. [https://eu-football.info/_referee.php?id=1548 Matches refereed by John Mowatt]
10. The number indicates the league the team played in that year.