Support the Diego to Dublin fund!

eirebhoy

There is a website dedicated to Irish football called soccer central and its forum has just 80 members. Anyway, there's an Argentinian lad on the site who supports Ireland. Someone opened a thread for the craic "The Diego to Dublin fund..." and wasn't expecting any serious replies. It has now gotten serious and we're trying to raise the cash to get Diego to Dublin to watch a few games and see what the country he has come to love is actually like.

The Irish Post has printed up an article for its Saturday edition to try and get a bit of interest:
http://www.sylviasbeautyrooms.com/derek/Diegopage.pdf

If you want to put a tenner to it feel free to phone the number in the article or stick a post on the forum.

Edit: BTW, he actually said he has his TV and video up for sale so he can come over. The weekly wage over here in Ireland is probably equivilent to the monthly wage in Buenos Aires.

NotMe

Do you think any Argentinians would send me some money if I asked on one of their forums?

impr0v

This is like the concern christmas fast, except without the christmas, the fasting, and the worthy cause.

seamus

I'll stick this cos it's one of the reasons I love t'Internet.

eirebhoy, PM one of the soccer mods and I'll duplicate it into that forum if they allow it.

sceptre

eirebhoy wrote:

The weekly wage over there is probably equivilent to the monthly wage here.

I trust that's the other way around?

Naos

eirebhoy wrote:

The weekly wage over here in Ireland is probably equivilent to the monthly wage in Buenos Aires.

dot dot dot

eirebhoy

Mear wrote:

dot dot dot

???

p.pete

The tough part could be getting him match tickets

eirebhoy

p.pete wrote:

The tough part could be getting him match tickets

The fella who runs soccercentral is sorting his match ticket. He's also allowing Diego to stay in his house and is putting a couple of hundred to get him over here.

suppafly

how much r ye trying to raise?

damnyanks

1500 - 1700 I think it was

eirebhoy

Didn't think this was still stickied. Only need €250 more. He got a new job so can't come over til the summer. He's working 16 hours a day (thats Buenos Aires for you) and his job have given him 45 days off to go to Ireland and they'll still pay his wages as they saw one of the articles and found it so incredible.

seamus

eirebhoy wrote:

his job have given him 45 days off to go to Ireland and they'll still pay his wages as they saw one of the articles and found it so incredible.

Wow. But ****it, if I was working every hour of the day that I wasn't asleep, I'd expect 1.5 months paid holidays too!

StupidLikeAFox

christ, i wonder if i found a lonely hearts forum with 80 or so members would they have a whiparound and buy me a ticket to see angelina jolie?

eirebhoy

ColHol wrote:

christ, i wonder if i found a lonely hearts forum with 80 or so members would they have a whiparound and buy me a ticket to see angelina jolie?

The forum's been running about 2 years now (the current one is only up a few months though so a load of members got wiped off). Diego has been registered with it since around the time it was opened and knows everyone on it in an internet sense. There's always meet ups for matches, christmas, etc. but poor Diego is stuck in Argentina. Most of us don't mind putting €10-20 towards it. An Irish lad from the forum went over to Buenos Aires and Diego was kind enough to show him around for the time he was there.

eirebhoy

Internet fans make dream come true for Diego

Argentinean Diego Abatecola is about to fulfil his dream to see the Republic of Ireland play live and in particular Robbie Keane at Lansdowne Road after a group of Irish football fans and users of www.soccercentral.ie banded together to raise the funds to purchase his flight from Buenos Aires.

21 year old Diego's first encounter with Irish culture occurred some years back when he met an Irish girl in one of Buenos Aires’s rougher neighbourhoods.

Diego picks up the story “She had long dark hair and deep green eyes,” he said. “I started researching culture, music and history — but what I love most is football.”

Then when Ireland played Argentina in 1998 Diego found his calling. “Robbie Keane had his debut against Argentina and played a great game,” he said. “I love his cartwheels, and that he’s from Tallaght. I understand this is a rough borough so I can relate to that."

Last week it was confirmed when the return flights were booked and paid for and Diego will arrive in Dublin in time to see his hero's play Israel in the vital World Cup Qualifier on June 4th. "I am really looking forward to the match, I hope to be in with the eircom League fans on the North Terrace shouting for Ireland", said a delighted Diego

On the eve of that clash the Argentinean is set to see his first eircom League game when St Patrick's Athletic host Bray Wanderers at Richmond Park, Inchicore.
Diego's interest in Ireland saw him check out the World Wide Web where he found soccercentral.ie and started using the forum. Diego admitted “I had already bored to death all my friends and family about Ireland. So I found soccercentral.ie on the internet and I started posting on its forum. What amazed me was having so much fun with these guys who I’d never met.

“I can’t even express how happy I am for what the guys at soccercentral are doing for me. It’s the dream of my life come true. I’m really moved, and extremely happy just because of them. “

“I have no Irish connection — except in my heart. I love Irish soccer. There is the spirit of the team, and the fans too.

Now he’s just waiting for the moment he can watch his adopted team play in the flesh and it is now only eight weeks away.

Knifey_Spoony

Ah thats really nice

gandalf

Lets hope the Boys in Green put on a decent show for him!!!

eirebhoy

e-mail:

The Gerry Ryan Show on RTE Radio 2FM (90 -92fm, also available online using Real Player)are set to feature the Diego Story on Tuesday 3rd May after 11am.

Diego will be online from Argentina while either Zinedine or Desyf will also feature on the show.They will cover the story from the start and how it all came about together with the plans in place for the visit including the filming for a TV Documentary.


But as with all things broadcasting the plan could fall over should something else turn up over the next 24 hours.
So don't forget to tune in at 11am (BST) Tuesday 3rd May where you will hear the story of how users of this board have made Diego's dream come true by bringing him from Argentian to see Ireland play.

The team

TOPDAWG

good story and im sure the "electric" atmosphere at lansdowne will blow him away! :rolleyes: why is it we cant get a buzz/chant goin bar when roy/robbie do something and the obligatory "keano,keano,keano" goes up. For a nation known for its sing song culture and general rowdiness why are we so dead at lansdowne?? sorry il leave and go the soccer forum now,........

jonny68

Nice story and i hope it all goes well.........

Big Ears

I hope the Bray v Pats game is of very high standard and that Ireland give Israel a nice 5-0 thrashing im sure that would make for a good trip .

eirebhoy

TOPDAWG wrote:

good story and im sure the "electric" atmosphere at lansdowne will blow him away! :rolleyes: why is it we cant get a buzz/chant goin bar when roy/robbie do something and the obligatory "keano,keano,keano" goes up. For a nation known for its sing song culture and general rowdiness why are we so dead at lansdowne?? sorry il leave and go the soccer forum now,........

Well the Israel match is on at 7.30 on a Saturday evening. Given the fact that the Irish need a few drinks down them to create an atmosphere I'm sure there'll be a decent one for that match.

eirebhoy

Gerry Ryan mp3:
http://www.castlereagaa.com/diego.mp3