SOCCER LEAGUE OF IRELAND:LEAGUE OF IRELAND clubs who enter examinership next season could face up to a 40-point deduction, which would almost certainly mean relegation, in new stricter regulations being drawn up in the participation agreement for 2009.

Both Cork City and Drogheda United were docked 10 points last season for being forced into examinership, though both still avoided relegation.

“We are looking at the convenience of entering examinership,” said FAI CEO John Delaney. “There will be a cascading penalty for what you finally settle on after examership. There is currently a 10-point penalty for entering examinership, as happened with Cork City and Drogheda United last season.

“In future, if you only settle 50 per cent of your debt then you will be hit with a certain penalty deduction. If you settle only 40 per cent then the penalty will be higher. That will be up to a maximum of 30 extra points. So that means the total penalty could be 40 points.

“It is based on the English model, but I hope we don’t see it again. I hope to make it that it’s not convenient for clubs who may be fourth in the league and decide we can drop 10 points and still stay up. The ramifications will be a lot tougher now.

“The licensing decisions will be issued on February 16th, the day after the club licensing committee meets,” added Delaney. “We are hoping that next Sunday will bring full clarity.”

Meanwhile, having just helped launch a new top-tier sponsor of the league (the Irish Daily Star), former St Patrick’s Athletic and Cork City manager Pat Dolan, and television pundit, yesterday claimed the domestic game lacked the appetite to progress.

“I always felt when I was involved that the way forward was to involve the FAI because they could positively discriminate towards the league through the leverage of the international team,” said Dolan.

“So I would have thought when the FAI came on board that it would have been a good thing. But last year was a complete disaster.

“There had been a lot of work done since the early 1990s when the league was in a really poor state and no-one believed you could be full-time or no-one believed that you could have decent crowds or do well in Europe.”

Yesterday’s announcement of a seventh, non-title, sponsor for the league means there will a total of €5 million put into the league next year, with Delaney promising that prize money will be increased.

Last year, Bohemians received €250,000 for winning the League of Ireland championship.