There were some feasts and some treats over the summer, but Irish football’s brush with European football is over for another 11 months. Yet Europe will be very much on the agenda today when Bohemians and Shamrock Rovers face off in an FAI Cup game as Uefa revenue has never been as important to clubs here. Add in the €600,000 they received for Friday’s sale of Liam Scales to Celtic and it’s been a good week for the Hoops. Yet the presence, for the first time, of clubs from Gibraltar and Estonia in the group stages of a European competition has led to a weekend of head-scratching for many within the game in Ireland. Tweaking of competition structures by Uefa means winning the domestic league, and going into Europe via the Champions’ path, is now vital for Rovers.

Source: Irish Independent August 29, 2021 01:36 UTC