Latest news with #DroghedaUnited
Irish Daily Mirror
10 hours ago
- Sport
- Irish Daily Mirror
FAI urged to shut its door to UEFA over treatment of Drogheda United
It is terrible the way Drogheda United have been treated by UEFA. And it is time for the Drogs of War to go into battle because sporting success should always be determined by what happens on the pitch. While UEFA changed the rules for those who are part of multi-club ownership models, the whole thing still feels bizarre. That is why Monday was such a shocking day for Drogheda when it became clear the club had lost its appeal to the Court of Arbitration and Sport - meaning they would be unable to play in this season's UEFA Conference League. Read more: Drogheda United co-chairman says owners will stump up cash to cover Conference League exit Read more: Jack Grealish's true colours shown amid Man City transfer speculation If that was bad, things would then get even worse on Monday night. Despite taking the lead against Shamrock Rovers, they were then pinned back by a free kick scored by Graham Burke just before half-time before losing 2-1 via Aaron Greene's winner. And that made it a Black Monday that Drogheda are unlikely to ever forget. Of course there is nothing wrong with UEFA looking at multi club ownership and demanding sporting integrity. Nobody would want games taking place in sporting competition where two clubs owned by the same people could potentially be giving direction as to who should win. But there was no danger of such a scenario unfolding with Drogheda United. And that is why Drogheda United co-chairman Ben Boycott was right to state that his club was made an example of. Trivela, who now own Drogheda as well as Danish side Silkeborg, have put forward many potential solutions to ensure fair play would prevail. I believe Drogheda are spot-on to say the UEFA process has 'lacked consistency, clarity and fairness'. Multi-club ownership exists all the way through the world of football. According to a UEFA statement in March, 342 clubs are currently part of Multi-Club Ownership. In English football, 16 clubs in the Premier League, 10 in the Championship, 13 in League Two are involved in clubs with ownership involvement from the same people. Just look at Manchester City. They are a majority owned club by some of the richest people in Abu Dhabi. The City football group owns stakes in clubs in the UK, USA, Australia, India, Japan, Spain, Brazil, Uruguay, Belgium, China, Italy and Turkey. And there is no doubt if Drogheda United was part of the City global group then there is no way UEFA would have gone to war with the Drogs. That is why this week's events ask serious questions of the FAI. It is their licensing process that has allowed the Trivela Group to be majority owners of Drogheda need to understand what an absolute disaster this was for both Drogheda United and Irish football. Can you imagine if those in charge at Abbotstown made it clear to the top brass of UEFA that if they made an example of any Irish club - then the FAI would call in their own Drogs of War. Had they made it clear that the FAI and Irish football would never lie down and be bullied by the inconsistencies of UEFA, they would have made a massive statement. Anyone looking at this case will be able to see that Drogheda were treated very differently to any other club. And the fact they have been made an example of is something the FAI should never, ever accept. I demand that those in charge at Abbotstown come out now and fight against this injustice. The FAI must make it very clear to UEFA that unless a remedy is found to Drogheda's situation then the two bodies will be at war. That doesn't mean firing guns. But it does mean the FAI telling UEFA they are no longer welcome in Ireland. The FAI should shut the door on UEFA and make it clear no one from their organisation is welcome on these shores. If they do this, the FAI will win respect. If they don't, they will never be respected again.
Irish Independent
a day ago
- Business
- Irish Independent
‘I think we're going to run into more problems' – Stephen Bradley fears Drogheda's Euro heartache is worrying trend
Stephen Bradley believes Drogheda United's emotive European expulsion may prove to be the tip of the iceberg when it comes to problems with multi-club ownership.
The Irish Sun
2 days ago
- Business
- The Irish Sun
Drogheda United owners to cover HUGE shortfall after European expulsion as Ben Boycott slams UEFA ruling
DROGHEDA UNITED chairman Ben Boycott has confirmed that owners Trivela will cover the €525,000 hole in the club's budget following their Conference League expulsion. The Drogs learnt on Monday that their 2 Drogheda United's Ben Boycott has confirmed that owners Trivela will cover the €525,000 hole 2 The statement comes after Drogheda United manager Kevin Doherty's side were expelled from Europe And it meant that a shortfall of €525,000 - the minimum prize money - this year in expected revenue. But Boycott confirmed that it will have no impact on In an open letter to fans, he wrote: '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.' read more on football Trivela also own Danish club Silkeborg, who also qualified for the Conference League and led to Under UEFA rules, the club with a lower league place is excluded where two clubs have the same owners. But Boycott continues to argue that And he claims that UEFA contacted a number of clubs potentially impacted, but not Drogheda United. Most read in Football Drogs submitted to He said: '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. Former Chelsea and Real Madrid star Geremi handed five-year ban from football activity after row with Samuel Eto'o 'We were not ever contacted directly, and Drogheda was not afforded that same flexibility. 'Worse still, historical precedent gave us every reason to believe that we would have a path to resolve any concerns post-assessment date. 'In recent years, multiple clubs have enacted share transfers, blind trust structures, and other remedies after the assessment date. 'Those precedents shaped our expectations—and we acted accordingly. 'I personally believe this decision makes an example of Drogheda so that UEFA can signal a change of approach to its regulation of MCOs (multi-club ownerships) 'It punishes a club that, just a year ago, was still part-time and operating without a CEO. 'It punishes a community-focused organization run with integrity, ambition, and limited resources—while major clubs with compliance departments and vast legal teams were granted direct communication and additional time to comply. 'That said, accountability ultimately falls on us at DUFC and at Trivela Group. 'The responsibility to navigate regulations—however murky or fast-changing—belongs to our leadership. 'And for that, I offer a personal, sincere apology to our players, staff, and supporters. This will never happen again.'
Irish Times
2 days ago
- Sport
- Irish Times
Shamrock Rovers could face Cliftonville in second all-island clash in Europe this year
Shamrock Rovers will play Cliftonville in the second round of the Uefa Conference League if the Northern Irish team can beat St Joseph's of Gibraltar. The potential tie was revealed just a day after League of Ireland champions Shelbourne were drawn to play Linfield in the Champions League qualifiers. The tie will be played over two legs, with Rovers away in the first leg on July 24th and at home in the return on the 31st. St Joseph's now stand in the way of the next Dublin-Belfast clash. Shelbourne struggled on the way to a 3-2 aggregate win over the Gibraltarian side in the first round of Conference League qualifying last year. READ MORE Rovers have recently played Northern Irish opposition in Europe, as they beat Larne 4-1 in Windsor Park in last year's Conference League group phase. They were moved into the second round draw following Uefa's ruling not to admit Drogheda United to the competition. Last year's Conference League will serve as an example for all Irish teams in Europe, with Rovers earning over €6 million and advancing to the knockout rounds of the competition. In the group phase, Rovers finished above eventual finalists Real Betis, who also ended the season in sixth in La Liga. Shelbourne were involved in two draws at Uefa HQ in Nyon, Switzerland on Wednesday. They would face a clash with Azerbaijan's Qarabag FK should they beat Linfield in the Champions League qualifiers. The Azerbaijani champions have qualified for the competition outright once before, back in 2017/18 and were eliminated in the final round of qualification last year by Dinamo Zagreb. The loser of the Shelbourne-Linfield tie will face the loser of FK Zalgiris (Lithuania) vs Hamrun Spartans (Malta) in the second round of Conference League qualifiers. St Patrick's Athletic would face either Nomme Kalju of Estonia or FK Partizani Tirana of Albania in the second round if they progress through their first round match. In Tuesday's first round draw, the Inchicore-based team were drawn against Lithuania's FC Hegelmann, who were only founded in 2009. Pat's will host Hegelmann on July 10th in the first leg, and if they advance they would also host the first tie of their second round clash on the 24th. They are hoping to go one step further than last year, where they were knocked out by Istanbul Basaksehir in the playoff round. Hegelmann's only European appearance came in 2023, when they were knocked out by KF Shkupi of North Macedonia in the first round of Conference League qualification.
Irish Independent
2 days ago
- Politics
- Irish Independent
Drogheda United owners to ‘cover shortfall' of European expulsion as co-chairman hits out at Uefa's communication in open letter
Drogheda United co-chairman Ben Boycott has apologised for the club's expulsion from European football and hit out at the way Uefa introduced their multi-club ownership rule changes, in an open letter issued to supporters today.
