The League of Ireland was in a tense standoff last night on whether clubs should be allowed to train during the Covid-19 lockdown.
Games in both divisions have been shelved with immediate effect until March 29 - at the earliest. But an official stance on training won't be made until the taskforce established to deal with the fallout of coronavirus meets at 11.00am.
Clubs that use communal facilities and gyms as training bases are being encouraged to move elsewhere to minimise the risk of infection. But other outfits such as Dundalk and Shamrock Rovers have exclusive access to their training grounds and gyms and don’t want to be held back.
It is understood the majority of managers are willing to adhere to a ban on training sessions, but only if all clubs agree to an FAI directive.
Hoops boss Stephen Bradley said he has contingency plans in place for his players to train away from the club in a worst case scenario.
He said: “You can keep them ticking over, definitely. But if it drags on for three weeks, four weeks, you’re in trouble as you’re in pre-season mode again.
“It's very, very hard to keep players at an optimum level if they can't leave the house.
“They cover 12-13km a game, so how can the players sustain their fitness levels in a house, it's impossible for a long period of time.”
Bradley continued: “We have our own gym. Every time the players leave the dressing room it's disinfected. We’re trying everything possible to keep it away from us.”
Asked if he was anxious about the Covid-19 pandemic, Bradley said: “No, I’m not. I understand the worry, it's a big, big problem.
“But I’m one of these people who doesn't worry about things I can't control. I clean my hands, I disinfect, cough with the protocols but things I can't control I just get on with.”
Yesterday, there was widespread agreement throughout the league that a blanket ban on games was a better solution than playing matches behind-closed-doors.
Bradley continued: “It’s about the league as a whole and we’ve got to protect everyone.
“Us or Dundalk are as important as Finn Harps and Sligo. Without them the league doesn’t function. The lack of match-day revenue kills everyone.”
The summer break could be scrapped to ease fixture congestion once the league resumes and cutting the season to 27 games from 36 has been mooted.
But Bradley said: “People are talking about it, but I wouldn't be a fan of knocking a series of games off.”
