Dundalk boss Shane Keegan has hit out at the decision that has robbed his side of centre-half Sonni Nattestad for the Lilywhites’ next three games.
Keegan’s side will have to fulfil Friday’s fixture with Finn Harps despite two of their players - including Nattestad - being away on international duty.
The Faroe Islands man will then serve a two-match ban for his President’s Cup final red card.
This will rule him out of the matches against Shamrock Rovers and Bohemians.
Under League of Ireland rules, a club can only seek a postponement they lose two players to either an Irish or Northern Irish call-up.
Yet the league won’t allow the Harps game to count as one of the games for which Nattestad is banned.
“I just can’t wrap my head around it,” said Keegan. “Surely it has to be one or the other.
“Either the (Harps) game gets called off because of it or, if the game isn’t called off, then one of his suspension games gets used up. I just cannot wrap my head around it.
“But it is what it is and there is no point whinging about it now.”
He added: “I don’t really have a problem with him missing the Shamrock Rovers game; the problem is with him missing the Bohs game the following week.
“That’s the real kick in the gut here. But you have to be careful what you say here.”
Dundalk were initially told that the 26-year-old would miss last week’s opener against Sligo Rovers.
“We were then told halfway through the week that that wasn’t the case and that there wouldn’t be a disciplinary hearing until the Thursday and no suspensions could be dished out until then,” Keegan explained.
“We got the word Thursday night that he was getting two games - he was free for the Sligo game, he was getting two games and the Finn Harps game couldn’t be used as one of the two.”
The Lilywhites are missing both Nattestad and Latvia international Raivis Jurkovskis for the visit of the Donegal side.
One player who could yet feature is South Korean winger Han Jeong-woo.
“It’s very nearly a done deal,” said Keegan. “I think it’s cross the ‘t’s and dot the ‘i’s at this stage.
“Whether those crossing and dottings are done in time for Friday night, I’m not sure.
“It is our aim to try and have the whole thing done and dusted, and have him available for Friday night. But we’ll see how the paperwork goes over the next 48 hours.”
