CANCELLATIONS CONTINUE IN THE WAKE OF OMAGH
Cancellations continue in the wake of Omagh
By Eamonn O'Hara & Alex McGreevy
SPORTING events continued to be cancelled yesterday as a mark of respect to the victims of Saturday's bomb atrocity in Omagh. Representatives of Derry City FC and officials from Finn Harps met yesterday and agreed that tonight's scheduled National League Cup group B game should be postponed and played next week.
However, Sligo Rovers and Fanad United, who are due to play this evening from the same group, are expected to go ahead with that game. Derry City chairman Kevin Friel said club members and those from Finn Harps "had close links with Omagh Town and its soccer club," and felt cancelling their game was "necessary." All National League soccer games played last Sunday observed a one minute's silence for the victims in Omagh. It is expected Fanad and Sligo will do so again tonight. The Irish Football League also met yesterday to discuss how senior clubs should acknowledge the aftermath of the bombing.
All Irish League, Ulster Cup and B Division league games will have a kick-off time of 3.15pm on Saturday. Before kick-off, all venues will observe one minute's silence. Omagh Town's Premier League game against Newry Town, due to take place on Saturday, has been called-off. It has been rescheduled for Tuesday September 15.
It is expected also that all junior soccer fixtures under the jurisdiction of the FAI and the IFA will also mark a period of silence in solidarity with the multitude of sporting bodies which this week have reacted with massive degree of respect and sympathy for the people of Omagh.
Derry will now play a group B league cup game against Fanad on Saturday evening (5.00pm) and face Finn Harps on Tuesday next. Sligo will play Finn Harps on Saturday evening. Cycling too, a sport which normally aims to avoid taking a stance in regard to the troubles in Northern Ireland, will offer its condolences. The Credit Union Junior Tour of Ireland, which starts in Coleraine this Sunday, is one of the biggest international events staged in Ireland. Riders from Canada, Estonia, Holland, America and all over Ireland, will converge on the Tour start in Coleraine on Sunday.
The week long event which ends in Dublin on August 30, will get underway following a minute's silence from riders, officials and spectators in the north-west town.
Meanwhile, the kick-off for Ulster's rugby inter-pro against Connacht in Galway on Saturday has also been put back to 3.15 to allow the players to observe the minute's silence. Meanwhile, GAA president Joe McDonagh is to attend a number of this week's funerals of the victims murdered by Saturday's bomb carnage in Omagh.
He will spend three days extending the deep sympathy of the Gaelic Athletic Association to relatives and friends of those killed and injured in the terrorist attack. Liam Muhihill, director-general of the GAA, visited Omagh yesterday. Domestic GAA games outside of Tyrone go ahead as arranged this week without any cancellations. A number of Ulster counties were contacted yesterday in the light of Monday's request by the Sports Council for Northern Ireland asking all involved in sport to postpone fixtures and events until midnight on August 21 as a mark of respect. No decisions on any cancellations were taken, with Armagh and Antrim officials due to consider the matter last night. Others clarified positions that sports fixtures would continue as planned with no disruption to schedules.
Down secretary Brian McAvoy said their position followed a decision taken the day after the Omagh bombing, stating flags would be flown at half-mast and a minute silence observed before all games in remembrance of the victims.
Mr McAvoy said he did not expect the decision to be changed and that matches at senior and intermediate championship level and All County League games would go ahead. A small number of fixtures planned for in Fermanagh are also to be played. Peter Watson, spokesman for their County Board, said a minute silence was observed at all matches last Sunday and that there were no plans to cancel any fixtures this week. Armagh's main fixtures committee have one game scheduled before Saturday, which is Friday's senior football championship tie between Crossmaglen and Silverbridge. A large number of club games were arranged by clubs for this week at various levels. A decision on whether the championship match would still be played was understood to be under review last night while an Antrim official said they had no plans to cancel games, stating no approach had been made asking them to do so.
By Eamonn O'Hara & Alex McGreevy
SPORTING events continued to be cancelled yesterday as a mark of respect to the victims of Saturday's bomb atrocity in Omagh. Representatives of Derry City FC and officials from Finn Harps met yesterday and agreed that tonight's scheduled National League Cup group B game should be postponed and played next week.
However, Sligo Rovers and Fanad United, who are due to play this evening from the same group, are expected to go ahead with that game. Derry City chairman Kevin Friel said club members and those from Finn Harps "had close links with Omagh Town and its soccer club," and felt cancelling their game was "necessary." All National League soccer games played last Sunday observed a one minute's silence for the victims in Omagh. It is expected Fanad and Sligo will do so again tonight. The Irish Football League also met yesterday to discuss how senior clubs should acknowledge the aftermath of the bombing.
All Irish League, Ulster Cup and B Division league games will have a kick-off time of 3.15pm on Saturday. Before kick-off, all venues will observe one minute's silence. Omagh Town's Premier League game against Newry Town, due to take place on Saturday, has been called-off. It has been rescheduled for Tuesday September 15.
It is expected also that all junior soccer fixtures under the jurisdiction of the FAI and the IFA will also mark a period of silence in solidarity with the multitude of sporting bodies which this week have reacted with massive degree of respect and sympathy for the people of Omagh.
Derry will now play a group B league cup game against Fanad on Saturday evening (5.00pm) and face Finn Harps on Tuesday next. Sligo will play Finn Harps on Saturday evening. Cycling too, a sport which normally aims to avoid taking a stance in regard to the troubles in Northern Ireland, will offer its condolences. The Credit Union Junior Tour of Ireland, which starts in Coleraine this Sunday, is one of the biggest international events staged in Ireland. Riders from Canada, Estonia, Holland, America and all over Ireland, will converge on the Tour start in Coleraine on Sunday.
The week long event which ends in Dublin on August 30, will get underway following a minute's silence from riders, officials and spectators in the north-west town.
Meanwhile, the kick-off for Ulster's rugby inter-pro against Connacht in Galway on Saturday has also been put back to 3.15 to allow the players to observe the minute's silence. Meanwhile, GAA president Joe McDonagh is to attend a number of this week's funerals of the victims murdered by Saturday's bomb carnage in Omagh.
He will spend three days extending the deep sympathy of the Gaelic Athletic Association to relatives and friends of those killed and injured in the terrorist attack. Liam Muhihill, director-general of the GAA, visited Omagh yesterday. Domestic GAA games outside of Tyrone go ahead as arranged this week without any cancellations. A number of Ulster counties were contacted yesterday in the light of Monday's request by the Sports Council for Northern Ireland asking all involved in sport to postpone fixtures and events until midnight on August 21 as a mark of respect. No decisions on any cancellations were taken, with Armagh and Antrim officials due to consider the matter last night. Others clarified positions that sports fixtures would continue as planned with no disruption to schedules.
Down secretary Brian McAvoy said their position followed a decision taken the day after the Omagh bombing, stating flags would be flown at half-mast and a minute silence observed before all games in remembrance of the victims.
Mr McAvoy said he did not expect the decision to be changed and that matches at senior and intermediate championship level and All County League games would go ahead. A small number of fixtures planned for in Fermanagh are also to be played. Peter Watson, spokesman for their County Board, said a minute silence was observed at all matches last Sunday and that there were no plans to cancel any fixtures this week. Armagh's main fixtures committee have one game scheduled before Saturday, which is Friday's senior football championship tie between Crossmaglen and Silverbridge. A large number of club games were arranged by clubs for this week at various levels. A decision on whether the championship match would still be played was understood to be under review last night while an Antrim official said they had no plans to cancel games, stating no approach had been made asking them to do so.
Further Information
Publisher: THE IRISH NEWS
Ref: IN/0095
Published Date: 19-Aug-98
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