When we talk of football matches we do talk about the fans at times and how the impact of a game affects them, how they single out heroes out of the teams and decide whom they wish to follow, uplift or condemn.
Indeed, it is the fans and their responses that boosts the confidence of the players, helps team managers be assured or doubt their decisions and push a team to work harder in order to please the fans.
There was a recent declaration that the mayor of Paris would be providing the fans of Northern Ireland and Republic of Ireland an honorary medal as they have showcased sportsmanship to an exemplary level. The recent announcement of this unique honor has raised queries from all over as to what instances have led to this decision and for recognizing the motivating effects that fans have.
The statement that has been issued says that Northern Ireland and Ireland supporters have shown their good mood, fair play attitude and exemplary behavior through the Euro 2016 matches which might have been an influencing factor in the fact that both the regions have had a good run in Euro 2-16 though the knockout stages did see the teams falling out to superior opponents. All sides have found the supporters of these teams to have exhibited friendly behavior and having maintained a joyful mood through the tournament. It was documented in YouTube videos where fans were found to have serenaded locals or sung lullabies to babies as well as dancing with the local authorities every time there had been a joyful moment to share. It is definitely a way of paying tribute to supporters on behalf of the Republic and has been initiated by Coach Martin O’Neill. He stated that the fans helped the team immensely and provided the energy that they needed whose effects were felt till the end.