Foot-and-mouth continues to bite

A decision has yet to be taken on the new dates for the Cheltenham Festival - postponed from this week after failing to pass guidelines designed to restrict the spread of foot-and-mouth disease.

A statement issued by the racecourse yesterday stated discussions continued to take place at the weekend among all interested parties about the rescheduling, with the aim of confirming as soon as possible the new dates for the three-day festival. The Cheltenham board met yesterday and gave its backing to the process.

The statement said: "Progress has been made, but there are still various issues to be determined - the main one being what will happen to Ireland's Punchestown Festival which is scheduled from April 24th to 27th."

Cheltenham racecourse manager Edward Gillespie said: "We would dearly like to reschedule the three days in the week Punchestown currently has, as this appears to be the preference of the trainers and race-goers. However, we are very aware that the decisions facing Punchestown are even more complex than those facing us, bearing in mind that racing in Ireland has yet to resume.

"Let me make this clear though - it is out of the question that Cheltenham will race at the same time as Punchestown. Therefore, we continue to examine all the logistical issues about racing during the week before (April 15th to 21st)."

On the domestic front, the GAA is to meet representatives from the Department of Agriculture tomorrow to clarify when Gaelic games might be resumed. With the quarantine period for the sole foot-and-mouth case discovered in Armagh due to expire this week, the organisation is hopeful of being able to lift the general postponement they imposed at all levels.

"The picture will be clearer after we meet with the Department on Tuesday and get an update on the situation," said GAA PRO Danny Lynch yesterday. "We are in the same situation as every sport in that we respond to departmental advice."

On a radio interview yesterday, GAA president Sean McCague offered encouraging soundings on the likelihood of a return to games in the not too distant future. However, the announcement of 25 new cases in Britain yesterday - the highest daily total since the original outbreak - will have deflated those hopes somewhat.

It certainly seems unlikely that the All-Ireland club finals, played annually on St Patrick's Day, will go ahead. The fixture generally attracts a 30,000-strong attendance and the Department of Agriculture would hardly encourage such mass movement. If the GAA is given signals that the postponement could be lifted for the following weekend, it might still be possible to salvage the leagues.

In soccer, the FAI will contact the Department today in regard to the resumption of National League activity. Over the weekend, players' representatives and the clubs neared agreement on the payment of wages, with the PFAI almost certain to agree to wages being paid at the end of a season which is likely to be extended.