FAI and clubs considering League of Ireland return dates

A behind closed doors League of Ireland resuming on the planned date of June 19 is among a number of options being considered in light of the Government ban on gatherings in excess of 5,000 people until the end of August.

At the other end of the time scale, another proposal under review is a deferral of all national league activity until September, with a full fixture programme to then run until the end of February 2021.

These were some of the ideas discussed at a remote meeting today of the FAI and the National League Executive Committee, which was convened to “draw up a roadmap for the return of SSE Airtricity League football at the earliest opportunity and in line with UEFA, Government and HSE guidelines”.

Other solutions being considered include: a resumption on June 19 with stadium restrictions in line with HSE Guidelines including ‘behind closed doors’ and reduced capacity at 25% or 50%; the season to run until the end of December; a resumption in July or August, based on Government advice and HSE guidelines.

According to a joint statement following the meeting: “The NLEC and the FAI will now work together with the SSE Airtricity League clubs to analyse the financial impact of all options available, with a final recommendation to be made ahead of a Government announcement on May 5th regarding any extension to the current lockdown.”

Speaking afterwards, NLEC Chairperson Noel Byrne said: “These are unprecedented times for Irish life never mind football and all our clubs recognise that fact.

“We discussed all potential outcomes in depth today and we will now formulate a plan for the resumption of our National League that is the best one possible for our clubs, our fans and our players in line with best practice advice from the Government, the HSE and UEFA.”

Interim deputy CEO of the FAI, Niall Quinn said: “Today’s meeting was productive and realistic in light of the most recent comments from An Taoiseach Leo Varadkar, his Government and UEFA. We all understand the situation the country is in right now and we will continue to follow the guidelines laid down by the HSE and the Department of Health.

“We must also prepare for all eventualities around a return to football. The FAI and the NLEC are now working with the clubs to explore the financial impact around a return to action under all circumstances.

“We are engaging with the clubs now to see what income support they will need to get us back on the field and we look forward to productive engagement with them in the coming days so that we emerge from this difficult period in the strongest manner possible for everyone involved with the SSE Airtricity League.”