Club Statement!
Updated: Jan 26
We hope you are all keeping as well as can be in these uncertain times. Its been a difficult few months for everyone and we would like to say a big thank you to everyone who is doing their bit to keep us all safe and to those who are helping us bring us some level of normality, together we will get through it.
We know sport is a lesser concern for many given the circumstances but much debate has taken place across the sporting world about how to conclude this season. For us, we have always maintained that the footballing season should be paused until it is safe to resume and conclude the season by completing all remaining fixtures - however long that takes! We do not believe that any team should benefit or suffer from league positions being awarded.
Furthermore the IFA have put the fate of the various Leagues in the hands of the individual league administrators - each entitled to conclude the season in whichever way they see fit.
How can one league decide to ‘null and void’ a season while another awards positions to team based on a flawed formula calculation. At least two leagues have taken separate approach to concluding the season which in our opinion calls into question the integrity and fairness of football across Northern Ireland especially given that the Irish Premiership and other NIFL leagues have not yet made a decision on how to conclude their seasons.
For us, being awarded titles or more importantly being relegated is grossly unfair to those teams affected and should be avoided at all costs. We say this despite the fact that our Reserves are about to benefit from these circumstances as they are about to be awarded the Ballymena League Junior Division 3 title by default.
We have no idea how long these troubling times will last or indeed what the future holds for the footballing world when we resume our normal lives but we say don’t throw away the hard work and dedication from teams this season and resume football from were we left off when it is safe to do so!
Stay safe.
Belfast Celtic
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