Damien Duff 'gutted' for Drogheda after their European expulsion

June 17, 2025

Damien Duff has said he is “gutted” for Drogheda and manager Kevin Doherty after their harsh European expulsion.

Their appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport to feature in the Conference League was rejected on Monday.

Drogheda had qualified for the competition following their FAI Cup success last season.

However, Uefa said they couldn’t feature in the tournament because they fell foul of the multi-club rule.

The club are owned by Trivela Club, who also have a majority stake in the Swedish side Silkeborg. They also qualified for the competition by winning the Swedish domestic cup.

In the event of joint ownership featuring in the same competition, the rules state that the lower-ranked side would be omitted.

In this case, Drogheda’s ninth-place finish last season lost out to Silkeborg’s seventh-placed finish.

Shelbourne manager Damien Duff shares his view

Duff, manager of league title holders Shelbourne, believes common sense should have prevailed.

Doherty used to manage Shelbourne before becoming assistant and eventually manager of Drogheda.

Duff said: “I want to see his (Doherty) quality and the servant he’s been to the league, to Shelbourne, to Drogheda. I want to see him in Europe.

“So we always think – I don’t know the ins and outs – that common sense will prevail, here, come on, let them in. But it hasn’t. So I’m gutted for them and I’m gutted for the league also.

“I’m gutted for them, gutted for them, for the league. For Kevin, he’s a great guy. A good ex-Shels man.

“There’s a lot of players there that I’m really, really fond of. They mightn’t be fond of me letting them go. But I am, even Ryan Brennan. I let him go and there’s always been that bit of friction.”

Shelbourne are awaiting their fate ahead of the Champions League qualifying draw this afternoon.

Duff’s side could face Linfield in an all-Ireland tie, with Shelbourne unseeded.

Stephen Kenny defends Drogheda

The Shamrock Rovers manager also shared his sympathy for Drogheda’s situation.

“They’ve earned it by winning the Cup,” he said. “The multi-club model, whether you’re in favour of it or not, there are examples, of course, where the clubs have managed to bypass the rules for whatever reason on technical grounds.

“The fact that no other club can take their place, it’s a blow for Irish football but the main people it affects, obviously, are Drogheda, and I’m sure they’re disappointed.”