Ringmahon receive five year FAI Cup ban

Ringmahon Rangers AFC have been banned by the Football Association of Ireland (FAI) from entering the Club Orange FAI Cup for five years, after they withdrew from their second round fixture with Dublin Premier Division side Bohemians FC, which was set to take place on 19 July.

The club has also been handed a three-year ban from competing in the FAI Intermediate Cup, and is required to pay a fine of €5,000 to the FAI.

In a statement, the FAI said it would like to remind all clubs of their obligations to fulfill fixtures in accordance with FAI Disciplinary Regulations and competition rules.

“The FAI is committed to protecting the integrity of its competitions and ensuring that all fixtures are respected in the interests of participating clubs, players, officials, match officials, supporters and the wider football community,” it said.

Earlier this month, the Cork Independent reported the club had withdrawn from the fixture, partly due to a potential clash with the All-Ireland Senior Hurling final, which could have featured Cork.

Cork were ultimately unsuccessful in reaching the final, losing to Galway in the semi-final on Saturday 4 July.

The club said the decision of the Football Association of Ireland (FAI) not to allow them to move the match to an alternative date left them feeling that they were being treated “unfairly”.

“Given the logistical challenges, player availability issues, logistical issues with staging the match approximately 30 minutes from our home venue on an already congested sporting weekend, we felt we had no viable option but to withdraw from the competition,” they said in a statement announcing their withdrawal.

Minutes after the final whistle in Croke Park, Ringmahon Rangers made a post on its Facebook page asking for a pre-season friendly on the same date.

Ringmahon Rangers said they would not be making any comment while the process is ongoing.