Ahead of Euro 2012, Keith Fahey was unfortunate to miss out on Ireland's tournament campaign due to an injury which forced him to withdraw from selection.
But writing in his Irish Independent column, the midfielder has shared the story of a phonecall that angered him after leaving Giovanni Trapattoni's squad.
"I was devastated and nearly in tears as I came to terms with the news that I’d be missing out on Euro 2012. For me, representing your country at a major tournament is the pinnacle of anyone’s career, so to be so close and have that taken away from me was upsetting. I just wanted to get out of there as soon as possible," he writes, before continuing: "I was at the Tallaght bypass and almost home when my phone lit up with a number I recognised from the team hotel.
"My first thought was that word had spread about my bad luck and the call was to offer commiserations. Instead, it quickly became apparent that its purpose was to ask if I would be able to hand my official suit back.
"I’d been selected for the 23-man squad so I was fitted for a suit that was eventually presented to me with my name on it. We’d received loads of gear for the month away so when I was leaving the room I’d just grabbed all of it in a rush so I could escape as quickly as possible. The suit was the last thing I was thinking of. I wasn’t robbing it."
He writes that he responded with an "Are you joking?" before ending the conversation "abruptly".
The former Birmingham City midfielder who won 16 Ireland caps says he can make light of it now, but says he was left "raging" at the time.
Read the full column right here.
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