GLENAVON’S influential chairman Adrian Teer has called for the Irish Football Association to provide financial support to clubs during the absence of matches.
The Mourneview Park chief has also expressed scepticism about the possibility of a return to playing action early next month, fearing that “it could well be much longer than that.”
The Northern Ireland Football League (NIFL) Premiership Management Committee (PMC), which includes a representative from each of the 12 Premiership clubs, was due to meet last night to discuss the current closedown of local football but that meeting has been provisionally re-arranged for tomorrow night.
NIFL has indicated that the outcome of today’s Uefa video conference involving all 55 national associations will provide guidance and that “these discussions will enable us to develop an action plan to conclude the remainder of the season”.
Money is obviously a major issue for clubs, as Teer pointed out: “I’m aware quite a few of our Premiership clubs feel very strongly that the IFA should be supporting the cash flows of clubs during this potentially difficult financial time and would expect the issue to be raised at this week’s PMC meeting.”
Teer laid out some of the problems facing clubs, based on his gloomier projection of a return date for competitive action:
“Personally I do not share the IFA’s optimism in their statement of last Friday – “we expect games to restart on Saturday 4 April” – and fear it could well be much longer than that. If indeed the 2019/20 season is ever to restart, who knows?
“At present clubs have not been given any guidance or directive regarding training. Should the season not resume in April, but indications are that it will within subsequent months, that scenario may well pose questions for some clubs in relation to contracts and wages.
“Then there is the factor of already booked managers/backroom staff/players/volunteers etc annual holiday arrangements – and I haven’t mentioned essential remedial grounds work programmed for the summer months.”
Teer put forward three propositions to resolve the unprecedented disruption caused by coronavirus.
Stop the league now at 31 games and accept clubs’ current positions as final. Alternatively, play the two outstanding rounds of games so that each team would have played each other three times.
Or, delay the start of next season in order to complete the current one, but the Lurgan Blues chief acknowledged this latter proposal may be complicated by Uefa’s need to know the qualified clubs for European competition.
The Irish Cup semi-finals, Teer said, would be a matter for the IFA.
