The girlfriend of FAI chief John Delaney has hit out this week at internet users who are "tearing her apart" on social media.
Emma English has responded to a number of nasty and vicious comments by writing a post on Facebook that states; "I’m dating John, his professional career is nothing to do with me.”
She revealed that she had decided to write the
Facebook post “having been subjected to disgusting and vile comments made about me simply because I am in a relationship with John Delaney who as many of you know runs the FAI organisation in Ireland.
“I am genuinely devastated and upset that people could target me in such a cruel and vicious manner because of their opinions based around Irish soccer. I have been shocked and distressed by a small minority of so called fans hiding behind anonymous internet user names and posting vile and disgusting comments about me on the YBIG (You Boys in Green) forum in recent weeks,” she continued, adding that she has been verbally abused and called “the most disturbing names”.
“My private life and relationship with John is totally separate to his career,” she wrote, explaining that she has had to try and comfort her children “who have been traumatised and so upset by these comments posted online."
“I don’t feel because I am happy in a relationship with John that I should be publicly humiliated, that my children should suffer the upset of all this. Do they forget that I am only human? Do they forget that I am someone’s daughter, I am a mother, a sister, a niece?”
The lengthy post adds that she has taken legal advice on the matter and has asked the public to support her as she combats the verbal abuse that she claims is coming from the YBIG forum.
A post on the YBIG site reads: “On behalf of YBIG, we would like to apologise to Emma English following a couple of derogatory and hurtful remarks made by a very small minority of users on this forum. The comments were deleted as soon as they were seen by our moderators and those responsible have been banned from this forum.
“YBIG generates a large number of posts and while we have a good team of moderators who volunteer to keep an eye out for such remarks, there are some that get through the net. The true fans on this forum are disgusted at some of the remarks made by fellow fans and have decided to rally together and make a donation to a charity of Mrs English’s choice.”
Cover pic: INPHO 
