LAST UPDATE | 1 hr ago

DROGHEDA UNITED CO-CHAIRPERSON Joanna Byrne claims that the club’s board have said her position is untenable following her calls for a boycott of Ireland’s Nations League games with Israel.

Byrne, the Sinn Féin TD for Louth and the party’s spokesperson on sport, called on the FAI to not take part in the fixtures with Israel later this year.

On Wednesday, she said the club’s board informed her of their concerns “with an expectation that I would resign, something I have told them that I intend to resist”.

She described the board’s move as “unwarranted” and “profoundly hurtful”.

Following an enquiry from The 42, Drogheda United say that “no changes have been made to the club’s board”.

The concerns expressed to Ms Byrne by her fellow directors are unrelated to anyone’s specific political or moral views, and at no point were any such concerns expressed.

Byrne is co-chairperson of her local side alongside Ben Boycott, the founding partner and chief executive of Trivela Group. The American investment firm specialises in multi-club ownership and took control of Drogheda in 2023. They also have English side Walsall and Danish outfit Silkeborg as part of their stable.

In November last year, the Drogheda board was updated with Trivela’s chief operating officer, Marc Koretezky, joining Trivela’s general counsel Barton Lee and the club’s chief executive Rian Wogan.

- ‘Profoundly hurtful’ -

Byrne said: “On Monday morning, I was informed by the board of directors of Drogheda United Football Club that my role as chairperson of the club was no longer tenable with an expectation that I would resign, something I have told them that I intend to resist.

“This unwarranted action was taken after my public statement last week that Ireland should not play Israel in the Nations League while a genocide against the Palestinian people continues.

“It is profoundly hurtful that expressing a moral view – one shared by the majority of Irish football fans – has led to this approach despite me never referencing the club at any stage whilst doing so.

I stand over those comments. They were made from a deeply held belief in equality, human rights and the power of sport to take principled positions – as it has done many times in history.

“These fixtures should not go ahead and I believe pressure will grow in the days and weeks ahead against them. This position is in line with Drogheda Utd delegates’ vote at the FAI General Assembly in November in supporting a motion for Uefa to ban Israel from its European club and international competitions.”

 “Drogheda United has been part of my identity since childhood – standing on the terraces, travelling to away games, sharing victories and heartbreaks with family and neighbours. The club is woven into the fabric of my life and of our town.

“To have the honour of serving as chairperson – and as the first woman to hold that position in the League of Ireland – is a source of great pride to me. I work every day in that role to strengthen the club’s governance, sustainability and standing within Irish football. I do so voluntarily, and always in what I believe to be the best interests of Drogheda United.

“Drogheda United is a community club. It belongs to the people of this town – to the children who pull on the claret and blue for the first time, to the volunteers who give countless hours, to the supporters who travel the length of the country week in, week out. I have always sought to honour that spirit.

“Nothing will diminish my commitment to Drogheda United or to the League of Ireland more broadly. I remain immensely proud of the progress made during my tenure, and will continue to elevate the club and the League of Ireland at every opportunity.

This has been a deeply upsetting development for me personally, but my attachment to Drogheda United runs far deeper.

“I will continue to support the club as I always have – as the proudest chairperson in the country, a supporter, a volunteer, and someone who believes wholeheartedly in its future and I look forward to seeing it continuing to thrive.”

- Concern -

In response on Wednesday night, Drogheda United said that the club “has noted the statement issued regarding our co-chair, Joanna Byrne. At this time, no changes have been made to the club’s board.

“The concerns expressed to Ms Byrne by her fellow directors are unrelated to anyone’s specific political or moral views, and at no point were any such concerns expressed.

“What was expressed was a concern over the open criticism of Uefa and the FAI, regulatory bodies to whom the club is subject, as well as each club official’s responsibility to respect the neutrality provisions of the Fifa Code of Ethics and the Uefa Statutes.

To be clear, the substance of Ms Byrne’s views has never been attacked by the Club or Trivela Group.

“Neither the club nor Trivela Group will be making any further comment at this time.”