A WARY XMAS

NIFL chief Lawlor is on guard

GERARD LAWLOR says the NI Football League will continue working with its member clubs to help mitigate the ongoing threat of Covid-19.

The Northern Ireland Executive has agreed on a range of new measures to tackle rising infections.

In a joint statement issued on Tuesday, ministers urged the public to do everything they can to “ensure we halt the spread of Covid as we approach Christmas”.

NIFL chief executive

Lawlor says NIFL will continue dialogue with

Stormont officials and its member clubs.

“We were involved in a call yesterday with the Executive office and we are monitoring the situation very closely,” Lawlor said.

“We will liaise with our clubs and look at models that are working in other industries to help and support the clubs, especially coming into the busy Christmas season.

“At the same time, we also have to be wary. We must be responsible, and that might involve asking clubs to put measures in place to be sensible and ensure the safety of spectators in attendance.

“We will develop it as best we can to keep spectators, players and staff as safe as possible.”

Last season a number of Irish League games were played behind closed doors, while the Premiership had a two-week circuit breaker back in January following a spike in positive Covid figures.

There are fears that stricter measures could further impact on football here over the coming weeks, as the local game prepares to enter a busy Christmas and New Year period. “We have to be responsible because football has an important role to play in society,” Lawlor (inset) added.

“We have to remember that there are a lot of players and staff who are role models, and it is about getting that message out. “Some of our clubs in the past have put out messages for fans to follow the rules, so they have a part to play in society and have been doing that.

“We will try to work with the government as best we can.

“We went through measures last season with no fans at games. We obviously don’t want to see that happen again, and we hope we can avoid any such action by taking responsible measures.

“NIFL will certainly play its part in supporting our clubs during this time.”