St. Pat's players pull out of Euro tie

Players of St. Patrick's Athletic have this morning confirmed that they will not take part in this evening's Europa League third round qualifying round match against Karpaty Lviv.

After another offer of bonuses for the players was rejected this morning, the players released a statement stating "with huge regret" that they "will not be participating in the fixture this evening."

The players say that the decision not to fulfil this evening's second leg match was "unanimous" and one which "has not been reached lightly."

"The club will receive many multiples of the amounts we are seeking in prize money," the statement reads, "so payment to us would still leave the club in profit following our European campaign."

The offer received from the club this morning was the same one which was rejected by the players at a meeting last night. The statement continues, with the players saying that they "have made it very clear to the board that our very modest requests would have to be agreed prior to tonight’s match; this issue has been ongoing for the past month."

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

Yesterday, manager Pete Mahon said at a press conference that he would be "very surprised" if the players pulled out of the match. The participation of Pats players in Sunday's Premier Division match against UCD is now also uncertain.