Arkaga defends its role at Cork City

ARKAGA, the owners of Cork City, have broken their silence on the current crisis at Turner’s Cross but have given no clear indication of their plans for the future.

In a brief statement, Arkaga said yesterday that it had ploughed €2.4million into Cork City making the company, they claim, the “single biggest benefactor in the League of Ireland, something which has been overlooked in all of this”. Arkaga also said that they are “continuing to support Cork City and are in daily contact with the management team” and added that they felt it was “unfortunate” that they have received “all the bad publicity” as a result of the club’s plight.

Although they made no reference to it in their statement, it is understood that Arkaga ceased putting money into Cork City a number of weeks ago, and the club — believed to be €750,000 in debt and effectively surviving on a week to week basis — are now actively seeking new investment. And while efforts continue behind the scenes to secure City’s future, manager Alan Mathews has paid tribute to the players who put all other matters aside to see off the challenge of Shamrock Rovers in the FAI Cup on Friday night.

“We responded in the best way possible by putting in a really good performance,” the manager said. “The players responded, as I fully expected them to do, in a magnificent manner. Their attitude has been excellent. There was nothing but a positive, strong vibe all week, reflected in the training sessions and in the win over Rovers.”

However, Mathews made no attempt to hide his concern about the situation at the club, nor his shock at the latest developments. Around six weeks ago, the manager flew to London to meet Gerard Walsh — the founder of Arkaga — and came away encouraged by what he’d heard.

“I went over to meet with Mr Walsh,” he confirmed, “and had a very pleasant day with him and we discussed a number of issues at the club in a very positive manner — contractual issues, finance issues going forward, the league, the overall landscape of the game in Ireland.”

So was the manager surprised at the events of the past week?

“Yes, absolutely,” he replied. “But like everything, things change.”

Nevertheless Mathews insisted that he believes Cork City can overcome the current crisis, although he accepts that survival could mean a restructuring of the club.

“I am aware that there are a number of activities going on to encourage people to get involved in the club,” he said. “The options that are open to the club are all being explored. Examinership for any limited company is an option, but it’s at the discretion of the courts. If the club decide to go down that route, fine, we’ll work our way through it. But I do believe that, in this turbulent time, with everybody working together on the pitch and off the pitch, we’ll come through it. I’m confident in the people working behind the scenes that we’ll come through this with a positive outcome.

“Perhaps it needs to be altered. Nothing is cast in stone and we’re in a turbulent economic environment. So there might need to be an adjustment, but perhaps things need to corrected to sustain the club going forward.

“I can only deal with the here and now. We’ve an awful lot of games to give us an opportunity to have a successful season. We’re playing for three senior trophies — FAI Cup, League Cup, Setanta Cup and we’re still in with a shout in the league.”

Mathews denied that there had been “reckless spending” at the club, adding that “everything was within parameters of budgets and also signed off and given permission.”

However, asked if he felt that full-time professional football was sustainable across the League of Ireland, he admitted he has his doubts.

“I hope it is but I’ve always had my doubts about it. Because you don’t need to be a genius to work out that if you don’t take enough revenue in and there’s more than that going out, you’re going to find yourself in the red and you’re going to need support and investment. And perhaps given the economic climate, that has affected people who were going to commit. But I’m looking at Cork and the players we have, the support and the ground, and I feel there’s a strong probability that we’ll come through this the right way up.”

While there has been no breakthrough in talks with potential new investors over the past few days, CEO Pat Kenny has again expressed his belief that the club has a future.

“I believe Cork City will get through this,” he said yesterday, “although we will need to completely review the situation. And that has to happen now if we are to ensure its survival, a prosperous future and that it continues to play in the league.”

Meanwhile, some immediate good news for City is that the injury to striker John O’ Flynn, who hobbled off during the game against Shamrock Rovers, is not as bad as was first feared. An X-ray showed no fracture to his ankle but there has been soft-tissue damage and, having had treatment over the weekend, his injury will be assessed again today.