The top-of-the-table derby clash between Shamrock Rovers and Bohemians on Saturday week is off.
Both clubs have two players in the Ireland Under-21 squad for a training camp in Northern Ireland next week.
Rovers today requested a postponement once Neil Farrugia and Liam Scales were picked by Jim Crawford, who officially announces his squad tomorrow.
But the Gypsies have no complaints as Danny Grant and Danny Mandroiu have also been selected for international duty.
The U21s were due to travel to Slovenia for a friendly on September 7 but that was cancelled because of the pandemic.
Instead, Crawford gathers his squad for a camp in the North as preparation for key qualifiers against Italy, Iceland and Luxembourg in October and November.
Farrugia, Scales, Grant and Mandroiu will also miss their clubs respective FAI Cup second round matches on Monday with Rovers-Cork and Bohs-Cabinteely set to go ahead.
But the eagerly awaited Tallaght derby between first and second on Saturday week, September 5, will be postponed.
Bohs boss Keith Long said today: “Rovers got there first but it crossed my mind to postpone the game, absolutely.
“It's perfectly understandable. Neil Farrugia and Liam Scales are playing in their team. They both played last week against Shelbourne.
“I’ve no issues that Rovers want to postpone the game because we're in the same boat ourselves.
“The two Dannys will be away with the 21s all week. They’d probably come back with us for the Friday session before a Saturday kick-off and that’s far from ideal.”
Long does not blame the FAI for the turn of events and appreciates it's the product of a young league.
But he said: “It shouldn't be a situation where you've an international window with a league game and a cup game scheduled in the same week. That doesn't work.
“I shouldn't be having conversations with the U21 manager. He should be concentrating on preparing a team because they've a big game against Italy.
“From our point of view, to be missing two players potentially for the Cabinteely game which then has an impact for the Saturday game against Rovers, it's difficult.
“It's a situation the clubs and the Under-21 manager shouldn't be in."
Long continued: “Because we're such a young league - and this is the point - you're going to have these players in U21 squads.
“You have to make allowances in your calendar for international windows, it's not rocket science.
“I know the logic behind not having them is there are very few players that'll be in your senior international team.
“But, for example, if there was an U19s camp this week or next week we would have Dawson Devoy and Ross Tierney probably gone as well.
“That's four players gone from your first-team squad. It's hard to deal with. The younger the player you have in your group, the harder the impact.”
