Irish soccer writer Eamon Dunphy has been compared to Judas Iscariot by the legendary Ireland goalkeeper Packie Bonner.
In a shock interview this week Bonner, the normally mild mannered soccer pro described his own personal collapse when Ireland were knocked out of the World Cup in the US in 1994, following a two-nil defeat by Holland.
One of the losing goals on the fateful day was due to a mistake Bonner made in the heat of the moment.
"That was the worst moment of my life from a sporting point of view. I'm not ashamed to say I cried in the dressing room after the game and felt I had let everybody down," Bonner told the Irish press this week.
"It wasn't what I had imagined the World Cup to be. I can't put into words how disappointed I was and it took me a while to come around. I spent a fair while in the hotel room before eventually heading downstairs where the rest of the team and their families and friends were.
That's when Bonner ran into Dunphy, who's constant criticism of the team's manager Jack Charlton had become a personal feud.
"The first person I met was Eamon Dunphy. He gave me a big kiss and I couldn't help thinking about Judas. Thank God he left me alone," Bonner added.
Bonner now works as a technical director with the FAI.
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