Pat's pull back from the brink

Soccer:St Patrick's Athletic have struck a last-minute deal with their playing staff to prevent them boycotting tonight's Europa League qualifier with Karpaty Lviv. The players had earlier announced their intention not to fulfil the fixture, accusing the club of disrespecting them.

Preparations for the third qualifying round second leg, in which St Pat’s trail 2-0, have been completely overshadowed by a row over bonus payments to the players for loss of earnings.

Having failed to reach agreement over a figure with the club by mid-morning, the players released a statement explaining they would not be taking part in the match at the Tallaght Stadium.

“It is, therefore, with huge regret that we must inform you that we will not be participating in the fixture this evening,” the statement said. “This is a unanimous decision of all the players and has not been reached lightly.

“We realise this is a devastating blow for the fans and the league. It is equally so for us as players but we cannot continue to be treated with disrespect by the club.”

It was not too late, however, for representatives of the players and the club to get back around the negotiating table where a subsequent deal was agreed.

While it avoids the PR disaster boycotting a European tie would lead to, the saga is hardly the ideal build-up to a match of such importance for the Dublin club although the players insist they remain fully committed to the cause.

“We never expected this matter to go as far as it did, and we would like to thank our club’s fans for their support during this time,” a later release explained.

“We have never lost focus on tonight’s game and are very much looking forward to this evening’s encounter with FC Karpaty Lviv.”