Minister Lyons Criticizes “Totally Unacceptable” Late Football Postponements

Northern Ireland Communities Minister Gordon Lyons expressed criticism regarding the late postponements of three Premiership football matches on Saturday, stating that these decisions placed fans in an “appalling situation”. While all six matches were ultimately cancelled due to Storm Darragh, specific postponements occurred very close to their scheduled start times. The games involving Linfield against Dungannon Swifts at Stangmore Park and Coleraine’s home fixture against Portadown were called off only 70 minutes prior to kick-off. The match between Cliftonville and Carrick Rangers at Solitude was postponed a mere 15 minutes before that. A significant number of supporters for the affected clubs had already made their way to the respective venues. Mr Lyons conveyed his sentiments on X, stating, “Football clubs, players and fans across Northern Ireland have been left in an appalling situation today after they were forced to travel during the amber weather warning only to have matches called off at the last minute.” He further asserted, “This is totally unacceptable and the authorities must ensure this doesn’t happen again. Clarity could and should have been provided earlier in order to keep people safe and save time and money for everyone involved.” Linfield chairman Roy McGivern also criticized the late postponement of his team’s match against Dungannon. Amber weather warnings for high winds, attributed to Storm Darragh, had been issued on Friday. McGivern commented on X, “Shambolic that our game is called off with some fans already at the ground and the rest on route.” He additionally stated, “Questions need to be asked about why this call wasn’t made earlier.” A spokesperson for the Northern Ireland Football League (NIFL) indicated that consultations with clubs had been taking place over the preceding days. The NIFL spokesperson disclosed, “NIFL have been in regular consultation with clubs since Friday morning regarding the ongoing weather situation and seeking advice and updates from clubs.” The spokesperson continued, “While a small minority of clubs would have liked games postponed yesterday [Friday] for different reasons, the overall majority wished to wait and make an informed decision this morning and with league rules and proper procedures and with consideration for sporting integrity with the close proximity of the transfer window.” The spokesperson concluded by noting, “Five games have successfully gone ahead today [across NIFL’s three divisions] but unfortunately losing two games late is disappointing for everyone. Details for rearrangements from today’s postponed matches will be announced soon.” Lorna Smyth, among 33 Linfield supporters traveling to Dungannon on a private bus, described the late postponement as “extremely frustrating.” She stated, “Other matches were called off at 11:00 this morning – our bus was booked for 12:00. There was absolutely no information put out so we all left.” Smyth added, “[We’re] out of pocket, £370 for our bus alone. We have kids on the bus as well, elderly people, sick people who travel far and wide for Linfield. Here we are left disappointed and out of pocket.” She further expressed, “It’s a kick in the teeth – they could have stopped this. They could have done something about it. They could have said at 11 o’clock when they were cancelling other matches, that this match is cancelled as well but they chose not to for some reason.” Another Linfield supporter reported being informed of the game’s cancellation just five minutes before arriving in Dungannon. This individual commented, “At least a wee bit of earliness would have probably helped the situation.- I don’t know why the decision was only taken at 1.50.” The supporter continued, “I know that the referee has to take that decision, but I think it’s just a bit too late for travelling fans coming from all over the country. They should have said all matches are off today because of spectator safety, that sort of thing.” Dave Wiggins, a board member for Portadown, also conveyed his disappointment following their late match postponement against Coleraine. He stated, “The most difficult thing is the expense of the whole day – it’s a day wasted for people. The club have paid for buses, supporters clubs have paid for buses.” Wiggins added, “It’s just so disappointing and unnecessary. Nothing really changed between last night and 4.00 this afternoon so why could this match not have been called [off] much earlier – the weather warning was there.”