Drogheda owners to cover €525,000 shortfall after European expulsion
DROGHEDA UNITED OWNERS Trivela Group have confirmed they will cover the shortfall of more than €500,000 in the club's budget after they were expelled from European competition this season due to multi-club rules.
And co-chairman Ben Boycott has revealed that they have submitted documents to Louth County Council to pursue securing the land for our new stadium
The League of Ireland club failed in their appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) to be reinstated to the UEFA Conference League on Monday.
Boycott wrote a lengthy open letter on the club's website regarding the situation and said the process of implementing rule changes around multi-club ownership 'lacked consistency, clarity, and fairness.'
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As detailed by The 42 yesterday, the FAI contacted Drogheda's owners last November regarding their participation in the UEFA Conference League as soon as they were notified of the firm's takeover of Danish side Silkeborg on 19 November last year.
A UEFA Circular was sent to the FAI on 7 October – before Trivela bought 80% of Silkeborg – regarding the change of deadline – from June to March – for multi-club groups to adhere to the requirements to participate in the same competition.
'I believe that this very limited communication around a significant rule change created a meaningful blind spot. It appears that other MCO groups were proactively contacted by UEFA in December and January regarding these rule changes,' Boycott said.
'Further, it seems that some of those that were contacted and began taking steps before this deadline were then given time to implement structures after the deadline. We were not ever contacted directly, and Drogheda was not afforded that same flexibility.
'Regardless of how it happened – the reality is that larger and more resourced clubs had much more information and opportunity than DUFC did. That's a system that puts clubs and groups like ours at a disadvantage.'
Looking to the remainder of this season, and beyond, Boycott insisted in the open letter that 'day-to-day operations are unaffected' by the loss of European prize money worth a minimum of €525,000, and provided an update on their plans to move to a new stadium.
'Let me be equally clear: this setback will not define Drogheda United's future. We care deeply about this club and this town, and we are committed to its long-term success. The club remains on sound footing. Trivela will cover the shortfall in revenue from missing Europe, and we are fully committed to seeing this project through. Day-to-day operations are unaffected.
'I will be meeting personally with our players and staff in the coming days, and I hope that we as a group can remain focused on the task at hand. Our FAI Cup title defence begins in July. And we have great potential to qualify for Europe again via the League of Ireland campaign.
'The future remains bright. We've now submitted documents to Louth County Council to pursue securing the land for our new stadium—one of the most significant steps in this club's history. That work continues, uninterrupted.'
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