A meeting of the Airtricity League’s executive committee on Tuesday morning is set to consider which of four proposals to adopt in relation to the ongoing impasse over promotion and relegation between the two divisions at the end of this season’s shortened campaign.
Talks between clubs and involving the FAI continued over the course of Monday but there seemed to be no prospect of a consensus being reached over how to handle the issue.
Last week, the association had suggested that the system envisaged at the start of what was to be a full campaign back in February be adhered. That would see one side being relegated from the top flight and replaced by the First Division champions while the ninth place team in the top flight would have to defend their Premier Division place against the winner of a series of playoffs between the sides placed second, third, fourth and fifth in the second tier.
On Friday a majority of top-flight sides backed a proposal to retain just the automatic one-up, one-down element of that formula while First Division clubs generally backed an alternative that retained the playoffs and resulted in two additional teams starting next season in the Premier.
Since then, a fourth proposal, to restart the league from scratch, have every team play two rounds of nine games and retain the promotion/relegation system originally envisaged, has emerged.
With all of the other most contentious issues – namely money, the timing of the season’s conclusion and a format and schedule that allowed for the playing of the FAI Cup – apparently resolved, it is widely hoped by the clubs that the matter can at Tuesday’s meeting of the National League Executive Committee, which includes representatives of clubs in both divisions as well as from other sectors of the association.
It was not clear on Monday evening, however, which option is likely to prevail or whether any decision taken might subsequently be challenged by clubs who believe the outcome has been unfair to them.
