PFAI chief in discussions with Leesiders
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Stephen McGuinness confirmed to extratime.ie today that Friday’s game between Cork City and Bray Wanderers will go ahead unless the FAI step-in and postpone it themselves. The PFAI chief said: “From the players point of view they’ll finish training this week and will be there to play on Friday. If the FAI decides that the fixture isn’t going to go ahead that is their choice but the players will be at the game and will be ready to play. Even if the club goes on Friday, from the players’ point of view they still want to play it. If the worst case scenario does happen, they will treat the game as an exit trial. Everybody here is now a free agent.”
Having met with the Cork players after training in Bishopstown this morning, there was still a remarkable amount of optimism and positivity emanating from the canteen after talks with McGuinness concluded. “I think the players have had no other option but to be optimistic. I met with Tom first thing this morning and the players have agreed to defer their wages for a week. The attitude here is surprisingly upbeat, I can’t believe it,” added the PFAI secretary.
“Footballers are like that though, they just want to play and train. Obviously behind closed doors it’s a different story, but we’re in tough times. The players have obviously decided to defer their wages to give the club every opportunity to survive. The players need to have a vibrant Cork City and geographically the league need the club.”
McGuinness also met with troubled owner Tom Coughlan this morning. “He was very positive, like every time I’ve spoken to him. We’ve all got to believe that he can still turn this around. There’s nobody else that can do it as no other investor want to get involved. We’ve just got to believe what he is saying is the truth.”
“How can anybody say that a club of this magnitude, which has won so much and has the biggest fanbase in the country, can not survive? Geographically too it seems that the league needs Cork City. I said it to the lads earlier: I still can’t believe Cork City is going to go. It’s traditionally one of the greatest clubs in the league and we just can’t afford to be without them,” said McGuinness.
The former St Pat’s defender was also left disappointed with the FAI. “To be honest, I’m disappointed that the FAI haven’t stepped in. Whatever about clubs like Dublin City and that going bust, teams like Kilkenny too but this is Cork. It can’t go, it just can’t. I’m still hopeful Tom can pull this around and Friday evening look forward to them moving forward, maybe under a slightly different guise. We’ll have to look at whether full-time football is sustainable but maybe change a few structures.
What about the wider league? Is full-time football maintainable on the island? McGuinness, despite obvious troubles at other clubs, still thinks it is possible. He declared: “Rovers have a model where they pay their players for 42 weeks of the year at a certain wage. I’d like to think that we can still build in the future and have a ten team professional league. That’s where we all want to be and we’ve to look to build to that.
“However, I think some people have offered wages that were just not sustainable. A lot of players in the league are under-paid but looking at the gate receipts, TV deals and prize money to offer big money just isn’t sustainable based on the wages that were offered. Full-time football can be successful in Ireland but it needs to be done in a way that is sustainable.”
The players have been consistently loyal and they are the ones who will be hurt most by the club being on the verge of extinction. However, McGuinness remains confident that there are opportunities at their disposal. “I know some of the senior players here at Cork and they will have options to go abroad to find new clubs. We discussed it this morning and they’ll definitely have options at their disposal,” he added.
For part two of extratime.ie’s interview with the PFAI General Secretary, keep an eye on the site tomorrow.
Having met with the Cork players after training in Bishopstown this morning, there was still a remarkable amount of optimism and positivity emanating from the canteen after talks with McGuinness concluded. “I think the players have had no other option but to be optimistic. I met with Tom first thing this morning and the players have agreed to defer their wages for a week. The attitude here is surprisingly upbeat, I can’t believe it,” added the PFAI secretary.
“Footballers are like that though, they just want to play and train. Obviously behind closed doors it’s a different story, but we’re in tough times. The players have obviously decided to defer their wages to give the club every opportunity to survive. The players need to have a vibrant Cork City and geographically the league need the club.”
McGuinness also met with troubled owner Tom Coughlan this morning. “He was very positive, like every time I’ve spoken to him. We’ve all got to believe that he can still turn this around. There’s nobody else that can do it as no other investor want to get involved. We’ve just got to believe what he is saying is the truth.”
“How can anybody say that a club of this magnitude, which has won so much and has the biggest fanbase in the country, can not survive? Geographically too it seems that the league needs Cork City. I said it to the lads earlier: I still can’t believe Cork City is going to go. It’s traditionally one of the greatest clubs in the league and we just can’t afford to be without them,” said McGuinness.
The former St Pat’s defender was also left disappointed with the FAI. “To be honest, I’m disappointed that the FAI haven’t stepped in. Whatever about clubs like Dublin City and that going bust, teams like Kilkenny too but this is Cork. It can’t go, it just can’t. I’m still hopeful Tom can pull this around and Friday evening look forward to them moving forward, maybe under a slightly different guise. We’ll have to look at whether full-time football is sustainable but maybe change a few structures.
What about the wider league? Is full-time football maintainable on the island? McGuinness, despite obvious troubles at other clubs, still thinks it is possible. He declared: “Rovers have a model where they pay their players for 42 weeks of the year at a certain wage. I’d like to think that we can still build in the future and have a ten team professional league. That’s where we all want to be and we’ve to look to build to that.
“However, I think some people have offered wages that were just not sustainable. A lot of players in the league are under-paid but looking at the gate receipts, TV deals and prize money to offer big money just isn’t sustainable based on the wages that were offered. Full-time football can be successful in Ireland but it needs to be done in a way that is sustainable.”
The players have been consistently loyal and they are the ones who will be hurt most by the club being on the verge of extinction. However, McGuinness remains confident that there are opportunities at their disposal. “I know some of the senior players here at Cork and they will have options to go abroad to find new clubs. We discussed it this morning and they’ll definitely have options at their disposal,” he added.
For part two of extratime.ie’s interview with the PFAI General Secretary, keep an eye on the site tomorrow.
About Alan Smith
Alan Smith works as a sub-editor for the Guardian newspaper in London. Originally from Cork, he freelances for several other newspapers and websites. Follow him on twitter @alansmith90. View Full Profile