Cork club Ringmahon Rovers have defended their decision to hand Bohemians a walkover in their upcoming FAI Cup second round tie.

Ringmahon were due to host the glamour tie on Sunday, July 19, but said they weren’t in a position to do so on that date. They have cited a number of reasons, including potential clashes with the All-Ireland SHC final – which Cork are hoping to qualify for this weekend – and the World Cup final.

"Last Thursday, the FAI informed us that the fixture had been scheduled for 2:00pm on Sunday, 19 July,” the schoolboy club of Republic of Ireland goalkeeper Caoimhin Kelleher said in a statement.

"However, due to competition regulations, the match could not be played at Ringmahon Rangers’ home ground while other team games v League of Ireland opposition have been allowed to be played at our home ground. Following discussions with the Munster Football Association, we were informed that Turner’s Cross would not be available that weekend. 

"We then explored the possibility of staging the game in Cobh, with concerns over reduced attendance due to a potential clash with a Cork GAA fixture and the FIFA World Cup Final later that day, created significant difficulties.

"In an effort to find a workable solution, we proposed several alternative dates to the FAI, including Friday, Saturday, and Monday of the same weekend. 

"We also offered to play the fixture the previous week or at any suitable date before the next round of the competition.

"We subsequently received correspondence from the FAI confirming that these requests had been declined and that the fixture details were to be finalised by 12:00pm on Monday. As a club, we feel we were treated unfairly and placed in an impossible position.”

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