Cork players crank up pressure on Coughlan

CORK CITY players yesterday increased the pressure on club owner Tom Coughlan to walk away from the League of Ireland outfit at a press conference in Leeside’s Maryborough House Hotel.

Represented by employment lawyer John Boylan – who described it as the “worst case” he has seen in his career – the majority of players and staff called on Coughlan to relinquish control of the club as negotiations continued behind the scenes to secure its future.

They accused Coughlan of being “very close to irreparably destroying” Cork City by his “stubborn unreasonable resistance… to giving up ownership” and also slammed a “litany of broken promises and dishonoured agreements”.

“The players have not been paid their wages in a timely fashion since day one,” the statement continued, “and their wages have not been paid since November 14, 2009. The non-playing staff (members) are similarly at their wits end and a number are owed wages since July 2009.”

The club confirmed that it will be appointing “an interim chairman to facilitate the smooth transition of ownership to those parties who have expressed an interest in taking over the club”.