Stephen Kenny has said his “thoughts” are with his former club, Dundalk FC, amid a “difficult time” financially for the team.
After last week’s loss to St Pat’s, Dundalk manager Jon Daly revealed that players and staff had gone without their wages.
Club owner Brian Ainscough clarified the situation in a statement on Monday, explaining that the payment delay was “temporary” and players received their wages on Thursday.
In an effort to support the club, which is also struggling in last place in the League of Ireland, fans have set up a GoFundMe to cover matchday expenses, raising over €18,000 this week.
On Down to Business with Bobby Kerr today, former Ireland manager Stephen Kenny expressed his sadness about the situation at his former club.
“My thoughts are with all the players and staff and all the employees of the club because it’s a very difficult time,” he said.
“This season with Dundalk has been hugely disappointing because the club is so important and significant in the community and people feel very proud of it, so this is difficult,” he said.
“Some of the players I managed are still there; Daryl Horgan, Andy Boyle, John Mountney, Robbie Benson. They were part of the glory years of the club with European runs.
“Now they’re men with young children, mortgages, and all of a sudden, the club is in danger of going into administration - it’s a big concern for everyone.”
8 November 2015; Daryl Horgan, Dundalk FC, and manager Stephen Kenny celebrate with the cup after the game. Irish Daily Mail Cup Final, Dundalk FC v Cork City FC. Aviva Stadium, Lansdowne Road, Dublin. Picture credit: Paul Mohan / SPORTSFILEMr Kenny acknowledged how difficult it can be to fund a football club.
“All the [League of Ireland] clubs are run as businesses, and it’s about finding a model that suits your club,” he said.
“I think there’s no definitive model; every club must find one that suits itself.
“I suppose with Dundalk not being in Europe this year, the European money is very important for clubs.
“It’s very difficult to run a business without it because the money for winning things domestically is extremely small - you wouldn’t believe how small it is.”
European money
He emphasised the importance of European revenue for football.
“I’ll tell you, it’s difficult to run a club without being guaranteed European finance,” he said.
“It creates a shortfall and if that’s the case, clubs obviously have to cut their cloth – but it’s not always the case.”
In 2014, Dundalk FC won its first League of Ireland title in almost 20 years under Stephen Kenny’s leadership.
They also won the league in 2015 and 2016, with Kenny guiding the team to the Europa League group stages in 2016, becoming the second-ever Irish team to do so.
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Main image: 13 June 2022; Manager Stephen Kenny during a Republic of Ireland press conference at LKS Stadium in Lodz, Poland. Photo by Stephen McCarthy/Sportsfile
