The FAI and National League have postponed all this weekend's league and cup fixtures as a measure against the spread of foot-and-mouth disease - which continues to ravage the sporting calendar.
Officials from the two bodies decided to postpone the games after a special meeting this morning to discuss the implications of the disease for sporting occasions.
The FAI president, Pat Quigley, explained that the measure had been taken as a matter of "national importance".
It is understood that no games will be scheduled for the forseeable future as the country comes to terms with the possibility the virus has reached the Republic.
"We will continue to liaise with the Department [of Agriculture] and will constantly monitor developments in the coming days," said FAI chief executive Bernard O'Byrne. All this weekend's Irish League fixtures in the North have also been called off.
