FAI Cup Player disquiet overshadows preparations

With the Ford-sponsored FAI Cup final less than a week away, Cork City's Leon McSweeney has expressed frustration that so many of the club's players are still waiting to discover if they are wanted for next season.

"It's very unsettling," said the 24-year-old. "I think there is something like 10 to 13 (the precise number is put by others at 11) players out of contract for next year and at the minute we have nine contracted players for next season.

"All the speculation over the last few weeks has been about contracts, even on the training pitch, and it's very difficult to concentrate on the cup final itself."

McSweeney is one of those whose future is in doubt but he is adamant he wants to be a part of the Turner's Cross set-up as long as the club's manager and board want him to stay on.

"I do (want to stay), definitely," he says. "It's my hometown club and it's fantastic. A winner's medal in the FAI Cup would bode well for next season.

"And I think that with the players we have here, it would only need a couple of additions in key positions for us to challenge the likes of Drogheda, Bohemians and St Pat's for the title."

Like many of his team-mates, however, the versatile attacking player admits he will have to look at the alternatives if an offer doesn't come soon.

"I've made it clear that I want to stay to the people involved and I've made it clear that my future is with Cork City, but obviously I have to look at other options. There are a few offers on the table, but as I said my prime interest is the cup final and hopefully my future will be sorted out in a couple of weeks after that.

"I think the return I have given them from when I first came has been decent enough. "

The disquiet among the players follows on from earlier difficulties at City over the amount of money they could expect to make from Sunday's final.

The club claimed that the FAI had changed the rules so as to include the percentage of the gate receipts traditionally split among the participants in the widely publicised amounts of prize money to be awarded to the winners and runners' up.

The association insisted the approach had been agreed by the four semi-finalists before that round of the competition was completed.