The moment the names came out of the hat , Aston Villa had to play West Bromwich Albion in an FA Cup quarter-final . The same when West Ham United met Millwall in the Carling Cup in 2009 . No escape . Administrators must have winced , but that was the hand they had been dealt . No doubt there were similar misgivings at UEFA when Serbia were paired with Albania in the 2016 European Championship qualifiers . Whoever arranged for England to meet the Republic of Ireland in Dublin on June 7 , however , is a numpty . Fans invaded the pitch at Villa Park after Aston Villa beat West Brom in the FA Cup . The last time England played Ireland in Dublin in 1995 the game was abandoned due to crowd trouble . The game in 1995 was marred by crowd violence and was called off after 22 minutes . The two sides met at Wembley for a friendly in 2013 when they played out a 1-1 draw . After intense negotiations with police , the kick-off time has now been brought forward to 1pm . Why is it being played at all ? There are 209 member associations of FIFA , which means there are 207 countries that England could play without fear of significant disturbance , and one where England ’ s last visit was abandoned due to a riot . If a free draw sends England back to Dublin , both sides will have to handle it — but this is an unnecessary risk , and not worth taking . If it ends in tears , and tear gas , again , those who came up with this incendiary fixture should not look far for the blame .
England are due to play a friendly against turkey in Dublin on June 28 . The last time England played in Dublin the game was cancelled due to crowed attendance . England and Ireland played a friendly in 2019 at home .