Joanna Byrne reiterates commitment to Drogheda United following her removal as co-chairperson

JOANNA BYRNE HAS written an open letter to Drogheda United supporters reiterating her commitment to the club after being removed from her position as co-chairperson.

Droghea United’s owners, US investment firm Trivela Group, confirmed on Monday morning that Byrne was no longer a director at the club, thanking her for her “longstanding and ongoing dedication”.

Byrne, a sitting Sinn Féin TD for Louth/East Meath, said last month that Drogheda’s board of directors deemed her position untenable after she released a statement calling for the Ireland men’s national team to boycott its Uefa Nations League fixtures against Israel.

Trivela Group, meanwhile, have previously claimed that their efforts to remove Byrne from her voluntary role as director were due to a “breakdown in the trust and confidence” rather than her political views.

In a statement released on Monday afternoon, Byrne said that she remained “deeply committed” to Drogheda United, which she described as the longest love of her life.

She stressed once more that the “underlying issue” in her being removed from her role as director was her “strong stance that Ireland should not play Israel in the Uefa Nations League while a genocide against the Palestinian people continues.”

In an open letter to Drogs supporters, Byrne said that she had “carried herself with integrity at all times” during a difficult few weeks for her personally, describing her conduct as “the opposite” of that of Trivela Group, who had removed her “without any consultation”.

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Byrne disputed “categorically” any purported conflict of interest between her role as Drogheda United co-chair and her role as Sinn Féin’s spokesperson on sport.

“I have consciously kept my politics hat and Drogs hat separate for many years, something which wasn’t easy to do but something I managed successfully,” Byrne added.

“I have always been transparent and open with fans and in the spirit of that transparency it is important to put a number of facts on the record and outline the sequence of events over the last few weeks.

“On 12 February, following the Uefa Nations League draw, I released a written statement, in my capacity as the Sinn Féin spokesperson on sport, which never mentioned Drogheda United in any form.

“On 16 February, I met with two board members of the club for a private conversation. I had no intention of making the matter public and always hoped for an amicable resolution but unfortunately details of this conversation were leaked to our fans – fans who elected me into the role as chairperson and those who I have always vowed to be transparent and open with. As a result, I had no option but to respond on 18 February to let the fans know that I had no intention of resigning.

“The facts also are that I was a sitting councillor when Trivela took over Drogheda United and subsequently stood in two elections since, another local election and then a general election. Neither of these were ever an issue with Trivela and they were consulted prior to both, and they were supportive at the time.

“At the time Trivela took ownership of the club, the issue of a potential conflict was discussed with them and no issue was raised.

“Despite this, following my election as a TD, I asked Trivela last summer to do their own due diligence on this potential conflict of interest to reassure us all, which they did by consulting with both international and our own national governing bodies, and following no concerns being raised from any stakeholder, Trivela reiterated that they were happy for me to stay on in my role.

“This very fact”, Byrne continued, “proves to me that the underlying issue here is as I’ve stated from the beginning, my strong stance that Ireland should not play Israel in the Uefa Nations League while a genocide against the Palestinian people continues.

“Finally”, she said, “it is important to point out that despite this previous internal process of due diligence, Trivela stated last week in a statement that they had carried out another internal review, which I was not aware of, nor asked to partake in, even though I was a board member, director and co-chairperson of the club. This alone is an injustice in itself.

“I’ve said it before and will say it again, Drogheda United has been the longest love of my life. I’m proud of our history and tradition and exceptionally proud that we are the first League of Ireland club to ever have appointed a female chairperson.

“This, I hope, will in time pave the way for other clubs to reflect on their top tables and start implementing gender balance. To go down in history as having the honour of being the first female chair is obviously something I cherish, but more importantly, if it shows other women involved in the game that they too can smash their own glass ceiling that will always be my greatest achievement.

“I am deeply committed to Drogheda United and want to see it flourish. I will continue to elevate it, and the League of Ireland more broadly, at every opportunity. For too many years our domestic game has been under-resourced, under-appreciated and under-valued and I will continue to fight for the League of Ireland to get the support it deserves.”

Byrne thanked former board members, Drogs staff, players and volunteers, the club’s fans, and staff in the League of Ireland office for their work together during her time in her role.

She also thanked those who was reached out to her in support in recent weeks, “both local supporters and LOI fans right around the nation.”

“Your support at a very difficult time means so much,” Byrne said. “But that is what makes the LOI the greatest league in the world.

“Football is in my DNA and Drogheda United is in my heart – that can’t be removed from me. I am looking forward to putting this behind me now and returning to the terraces among the rank and file of the Drog faithful and continuing to support the club we all love, as a fan.”