Drogheda United going to Court of Arbitration for Sport in bid to salvage European football as club blast ‘unfair' UEFA
DROGHEDA UNITED are going to the Court of Arbitration for Sport in a bid to play European football this season.
2
Kevin Doherty's side have gone from strength to strength this season
2
The Louth outfit secured European football by beating Derry City in the FAI Cup final
Uefa rules do not allow clubs with the same owner to compete in the same competition for sporting integrity reasons.
The Trivela Group bought Drogheda before the start of last season and, since then, took a 80 percent stake in the Norwegian outfit.
Similar situations have arisen in the past with the ownership of one club transferred to a third party in order to get around it.
But, for now, despite its efforts to reach a compromise with Uefa's Club FInancial Control Body, the Boynesiders face missing out on the reward for
Read More On Irish Football
A Drogheda statement said: 'The club can confirm that it has been notified by UEFA that we are facing expulsion from the UEFA Conference League due to Drogheda United and Silkeborg IF having both qualified for the same competition.
'This is despite significant efforts by the club to work constructively with UEFA to make necessary ownership and governance changes to allow both to compete over the past several months.
'We are devastated by this potential development and believe it would be both harsh and unfair, given the way brand new rule changes this year have been, in our view, inconsistently communicated and enforced across various clubs.
'We are now appealing the decision to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS).
Most read in Football
"Given we are now in the midst of an ongoing legal proceeding, and out of respect for that process, UEFA, the CFCB, and the overall aim of sporting integrity, there are limits to what we are able to share at this time.
'What we can say is this: we are—even at this late hour—fighting to do anything and everything we can to secure our players', supporters', and community's place in Europe.
Man Utd announce Matheus Cunha in huge £62.5m transfer
'We have been in active dialogue with UEFA for months and have put forward a share disposition, trust arrangements, and various other undertakings consistent with recent CFCB precedent, only to have all of those efforts rebuffed.
'Nevertheless, we look forward to the opportunity to be heard at CAS and thank you in advance for your support. '
Drogheda last competed in Europe in 2013 and qualified against the odds by defeating favourites
They currently lie second in the table, six points behind leaders
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Irish Examiner
12 minutes ago
- Irish Examiner
Owen Farrell agrees return to Saracens as player-coach on five-year deal
Owen Farrell has agreed an immediate return to Saracens and will return to his boyhood club after a torrid season with Racing 92. The 33-year-old former England captain will join Saracens as a player-coach this summer on a five-year deal. Saracens have secured Farrell's signing after agreeing a compensation package with Racing 92 of around €200,000 – significantly less than the €500,000 paid by the French club last year – and reaching a deal over personal terms. Farrell had signed a two-year deal with Racing but endured an injury-hit first season and informed the club of his desire to return to the Premiership towards the end of the campaign. Farrell's move back to Saracens makes him available for England's summer tour of Argentina and the USA but it is unclear if he wants to return to international duty or if the head coach Steve Borthwick wants to recall him. The door also remains open for Farrell to join the British & Irish Lions tour of Australia having been left out of the initial 38-man squad by father Andy. Farrell will be in Dublin to run his rule over the Lions' warm-up match against Argentina next Friday, having joined Sky Sports' punditry team. Farrell spent 16 years at Saracens, having made his debut aged 17, and won six Premiership titles and three European crowns with the club. After a trying 2023 World Cup campaign in which he was booed by England supporters, he announced he was taking a step back from international duty before his move to the Top 14 materialised. At Racing, however, Farrell has had a niggling groin problem required surgery around the turn of the year. His final appearance for the club came in their Challenge Cup semi-final defeat by Lyon last month when he was withdrawn during the first half with a head injury. Stuart Lancaster, who had given Farrell his England debut, was sacked as Racing head coach in January. Saracens were not the only Premiership side interested in bringing Farrell back to England but once his desire to return was known, Mark McCall wasted little time in securing his signature. After Saracens's final match of the season against Bath, McCall confirmed Saracens were exploring bringing Farrell back to the club as injury dispensation with Alex Lozowski ruled out until Christmas with an achilles injury. Farrell will be taking a significant pay cut compared to the salary he previously earned at Saracens. 'He [Owen] doesn't have to play 10, he can play other positions as well,' McCall said at the time. 'So for our young talents who are developing, it could be a great thing to have him there.' Guardian
RTÉ News
an hour ago
- RTÉ News
Liverpool land Bayer Leverkusen star Florian Wirtz in £116m deal
Premier League champions Liverpool have agreed a club-record deal worth up to £116m (€136.36) to sign Florian Wirtz after Bayer Leverkusen finally settled on a fee for their playmaker. The Reds had two bids rejected, the last one of £113m which would have seen £100m paid up front with performance-related add-ons, but have finally got the deal over the line. Liverpool will still pay an initial £100m – comfortably surpassing their own record outlay – but the performance-related add-ons, if achieved, would make it a potential British record. Leverkusen had valued the 22-year-old Germany international around £125m but regardless, Liverpool's overall outlay could surpass the £115m Chelsea paid Brighton in 2023 for Moises Caicedo – who turned down Anfield after the Seagulls had accepted an offer which was subsequently matched by their Premier League rivals. Striker Darwin Nunez was their previous record signing in 2022, although they have not paid the full £85m as he has not met all the requirements for certain add-ons to be due. Liverpool, like a number of top European clubs, had been watching Wirtz for some time but did not consider themselves front-runners for his signature. However, after Manchester City pulled out, reportedly due to the spiralling costs of the whole package, and Wirtz expressed a preference for Merseyside over Bayern Munich, sporting director Richard Hughes changed gear. Talks were already ongoing with Leverkusen over Jeremie Frimpong, who became the first new addition to Arne Slot's squad in a £30m deal late last month, which made the line of communication easier. Hughes' connections with his former club Bournemouth mean he was also well-placed to progress talks with the Cherries over the signing of left-back Milos Kerkez, a player he originally brought to the Premier League.
Irish Examiner
an hour ago
- Irish Examiner
Liverpool agree potential €136m deal for Florian Wirtz
Premier League champions Liverpool have agreed a club-record deal worth up to €136million (£116m) to sign Florian Wirtz after Bayer Leverkusen finally settled on a fee for their playmaker. The Reds had two bids rejected, the last one of £113m which would have seen £100m paid up front with performance-related add-ons, but have finally got the deal over the line. Liverpool will still pay an initial £100m – comfortably surpassing their own record outlay – but the performance-related add-ons, if achieved, would make it a potential British record. Liverpool have broken their club record to sign Bayer Leverkusen's Florian Wirtz (Peter Byrne/PA) Leverkusen had valued the 22-year-old Germany international around £125m but regardless, Liverpool's overall outlay could surpass the £115m Chelsea paid Brighton in 2023 for Moises Caicedo – who turned down Anfield after the Seagulls had accepted an offer which was subsequently matched by their Premier League rivals. Striker Darwin Nunez was their previous record signing in 2022, although they have not paid the full £85m as he has not met all the requirements for certain add-ons to be due. Liverpool, like a number of top European clubs, had been watching Wirtz for some time but did not consider themselves front-runners for his signature. However, after Manchester City pulled out, reportedly due to the spiralling costs of the whole package, and Wirtz expressed a preference for Merseyside over Bayern Munich, sporting director Richard Hughes changed gear. Talks were already ongoing with Leverkusen over Jeremie Frimpong, who became the first new addition to Arne Slot's squad in a £30m deal late last month, which made the line of communication easier. Hughes' connections with his former club Bournemouth mean he was also well-placed to progress talks with the Cherries over the signing of left-back Milos Kerkez, a player he originally brought to the Premier League.
