Galway win appeal to stay in top division

Soccer:Galway United will remain in the Airtricity Premier Division after winning their appeal against not being granted a license to compete in the top flight.

United faced a demotion to the A Championship but appealed their case in front of the independent FAI Club Licensing Appeals Committee in Abbotstown today.

“The Appeals Body noted that it is essential to good governance in football that all required documentation is supplied by its due date and in this particular case, they recognise that the onus was on the club to produce the appropriate evidence to the Club Licensing Committee,” today’s statement from the FAI read.

“The Appeals Body acknowledge that the tax affairs of the club were and are in order and it was clear that the club had made attempts to secure the appropriate documentation but due to exceptional events were unable to provide it on the date required.

“Given the full circumstances that pertain to this case, the Appeals Body overturned the decision of the Club Licensing Committee and awarded a League Licence – Premier Division to Galway United FC.

The decision means Monaghan United will remain in the First Division.

Limerick, meanwhile, have been given until the close of business on Monday to satisfy the FAI they can get through the season without any major financial issues.

Club officials have been angered by the requirement that they effectively put up-front funding in place for the season.

Airtricity League director Fran Gavin said the organisation is “watching the situation at Bohemians very closely,” following the club’s failure over the last couple of days to make the payment required to settle the outstanding contractual problems with members of last year’s squad.

Gavin said “it would be very hard for us to register new players when the old ones still haven’t been paid the money they are owed under the terms of the deal”, but declined to rule out the league registering them between now and the club’s opening game of the season, the refixed Setanta Sports Cup game against Portadown on March 1st – in the event that the matter hasn’t been resolved by then.

Bohemians, meanwhile, put the problem down to a delay in obtaining a letter from the government in relation to previous capital grants and the status of Dalymount Park which they say has long been authorised.