Northern Ireland manager O'Neill banned for drunk driving

By AP
Published

EDINBURGH, Scotland (AP) Northern Ireland manager Michael O'Neill pleaded guilty to drunk driving on Thursday and was banned from the road for 16 months.

O'Neill was caught by police on the outskirts of Edinburgh at about 1 a.m. on Sept. 10 and was found to be around three times the legal drink-drive limit.

O'Neill appeared on Thursday at Edinburgh Sheriff Court where he received the driving ban and fine of 1,300 pounds ($1,700).

''This was simply a bad error of judgment,'' O'Neill's solicitor, James Mulgrew, told the court.

Northern Ireland is still in contention for its first World Cup trip since 1986. The team plays Switzerland in a two-leg playoff next month to qualify for the World Cup in Russia next year.

O'Neill was hired by Northern Ireland in 2012 and guided the team to the last 16 to its first-ever European Championship appearance in France in 2016.

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