£8 test to paveway for Irish League’s safe return
£15k move to keep season alive as clubs face fines for Covid breaches
THE Irish FA and Northern Ireland Football League are banking on Covid-19 tests — which cost only £8 each — keeping the Danske Bank Premiership season alive.
Regular testing will begin for the first time tonight as the football bodies aim to keep the show on the road during the relentless pandemic.
Clubs will receive 160 test kits for four weeks of testing, with the total cost for all 12 clubs coming in at just over £15,000.
The Irish FA and NIFL are jointly funding the initiative, with the testing procedure to be reviewed after three weeks.
Clubs that breach Covid-19 guidelines could also be hit with fines or points deductions in the most serious cases.
Breaches such as inappropriate use of boardrooms for hospitality and misuse of changing rooms, as well as non-compliance with the league’s new testing protocol, could lead to fines.
Points deductions would be considered by an independent panel for a serious breach — if a club fails to provide full disclosure in the event of a positive case. The company which distributes tests to English Football League clubs is also being used in this programme and clubs can request further supplies.
Players and staff will be separated before training and tested, with a result available 15 to 30 minutes later. If an individual tests positive, he or she will return home and self-isolate in line with the latest health guidance.
They must also notify the Public Health Agency and undergo a further test.
Several managers have called for the testing, including Ballymena United boss David Jeffrey.
There are six Danske Bank Premiership games scheduled for Saturday, with the action returning following a two-week suspension imposed by NIFL and supported by the Irish FA.
The move to introduce a twoweek circuit-breaker followed concerns expressed by players, club officials and referees.
Covid-19 testing offers players and staff greater reassurance, but the need to adhere to the strict protocols has never been more important.
It’s expected that only a considerable number of positive tests would prevent a match from going ahead.
According to NIFL’S Covid-19 case policy: “In the event that a player or players of a club are placed into mandatory quarantine or required to self-isolate in accordance with the regulations or mandatory guidance issued by the Public Health Agency, the match involving that club will go ahead as scheduled as long as the team has at least 13 players (including at least one goalkeeper) available for selection on the IFA Comet system and compliant with the respective competition rules.”
If a club cannot field a team or the home venue has been closed on the direction of the Public Health Agency, the match can be rescheduled upon request.
Iain Black, Ballymena United’s Covid-19 officer, said: “When you factor in all the players and staff in attendance, around 40 tests are close to the mark.
“Clubs can order further tests if needed and they would deal directly with the company.
“On the plus side, we know what the next three weeks looks like, but it is an uncertain period.
“All the protocols, including no car sharing among players, must be adhered to.”
This three-week, potentially four-week, period of Covid-19 testing gives the authorities time to assess how the season can be finished, if at all.
The tests cost money, and it’s not clear whether the Irish FA and NIFL are prepared to pay for further rounds of testing.
Given that the pandemic remains a serious health concern in Northern Ireland, it’s questionable whether football can continue without testing, even though the Premiership can be played as an elite sport behind closed doors.
Clubs want to play a 38-game league campaign but the season may need to be cut short.
Following multiple match postponements across the Championship, League One and League Two, the EFL moved to twice-weekly testing this month.
The Premier League has been testing its players and club staff twice a week since December 28.
The EFL and Danske Bank Premiership tests are lateral flow devices which are understood not to be as accurate as the PCR (polymerase chain reaction) tests. While less accurate, lateral flow tests are cheaper and much quicker to administer.
Glenavon chairman Adrian Teer says he’s mystified how Irish League football was allowed to continue without testing so far.
“I’m a football man and I want to see games played, but with the way our cases are soaring I felt it was unwise for football to continue without a proper testing system,” he said.
“How could you take 1,000plus people to the six games on a Saturday when people are being told to stay in the house? It beggars belief.
“Our club’s view is we should strive to get to at least 22 games and have the league decided on the pitch, not in a committee room or on a Zoom call.”