Declan Rice apologises for ‘Up the RA’ Instagram comments

Declan Rice has apologised for “poorly expressed” pro-IRA comments he made on Instagram while representing the Republic of Ireland at youth level.

Screenshots circulating on social media this week showed the West Ham midfielder, who recently switched allegiance from Ireland to England, writing “Up the RA” and “#upthera” underneath a teammate’s post.

“I am aware that a poorly-expressed comment I made when I was a junior player has been circulated on social media,” the 20-year-old explained on Thursday.

“I recognise now that my attempt to show support for my teammates at the time could be negatively interpreted.

“While my naive words were not meant to be a political opinion and do not represent who I am, I sincerely apologise for any offence caused.”

Rice has since deleted the comments and made his Instagram post private.