THE UNITE THE Union Champions Cup has been pushed back to 2022, with the FAI and IFA accepting a request from the tournament’s sponsors to postpone the games due to the rising Covid cases on both sides of the border.
There had been confusion surrounding the cross-border competition, with Shamrock Rovers manager Stephen Bradley yesterday admitting the club had “heard nothing” regarding fixture details.
Rovers are due to play fellow Dublin side St Patrick’s Athletic in one of the competition’s semi-finals, with Irish League sides Linfield and Coleraine also waiting to play their semi-final. The final was scheduled to be played at the Aviva Stadium on Saturday, 4 December.
But both semi-finals and the final have now been postponed until 2022 in light of the current Covid situation, with new dates for the fixtures to be confirmed next year.
Unite the Union Deputy Regional Secretary Davy Thompson stated: “Due to the rising number of Covid-19 cases both North and South, we in conjunction with the FAI and IFA have taken the decision to postpone the Unite the Union Champions Cup until 2022.
“While this was a decision we hoped we would not have to take, we believe it is the responsible approach given the current pressures on our health services. Unite has stood in solidarity with our health services throughout this pandemic, and we feel that a major cross-border event such as the Champions Cup could potentially place an additional burden on healthcare workers.
“We would like to thank the Associations and clubs for the joint decision taken today. We also want to take this opportunity to thank all those working on the front line for their continuing dedication to the public.”
League of Ireland Director Mark Scanlon added: “We apologise to the fans of all clubs involved in the Unite the Union Champions Cup from both the League of Ireland and the Irish League but all concerned feel this is the best decision in the current climate. We look forward to restaging these fixtures as early as possible in the New Year.”
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