Drogheda United co-chairperson Joanna Byrne has reiterated that she will not resign from her position in the wake of the club's owners Trivela Group requesting she resign from the position and as a director of the club.
Last month, Byrne claimed the club's board of directors said her position was untenable following her statement around the Republic of Ireland v Israel fixture in the UEFA Nations League.
Byrne, a sitting Sinn Féin TD for Louth, had said she will not be stepping down from her voluntary position with the Boynesiders and wanted to continue in the role.
But today the American-based owners of the club said they are parting ways with Byrne due to a "breakdown in the trust and confidence" and not on political views or beliefs.
They claim they have the power to force her to resign.
In a statement, the owners said: "Trivela Group can confirm that it has, pursuant to its authority under her service agreement with Drogheda Utd FC Limited, provided written instruction requiring Joanna Byrne to resign from her position as director and co-chair.
"We thank Ms Byrne for her service to Drogheda United and for the time and effort she devoted to the Club during her tenure as a director and co-chair.
"For the avoidance of doubt, this decision was not taken in any way on the basis of Ms Byrne’s political views or beliefs, which she has expressed freely and in a public manner for the duration of her directorship.
"Rather, this decision followed a statement made regarding private discussions with club ownership. This not only caused a breakdown in the trust and confidence necessary for her to continue in the role as a director of the club, but also sharpened the governance concerns that had been the topic of those original discussions."
Byrne responded, reiterating that she would not be stepping down.
"As you can imagine, today's developments are deeply emotive for me and quite upsetting," she said. "That said, they are not surprising.
"This is nothing more than a formal follow-on in writing by Trivela Group from the meeting on 16 February where expectations for me to resign were expressed after I was told my position as Chairperson was untenable. I stated at that stage I would not resign and that remains my position today.
"I am under no illusion that this is solely as a result of my comments in my capacity as Sinn Féin Spokesperson on sport that the Ireland / Israel match should not go ahead, and I think people will see it for what it is.
"I will now consider the options open to me and proceed from there."
Trivela Group added that they have reviewed having anyone involved with the club that has a role in politics and said action should have been taken on that issue beforehand.
They said: "Furthermore, these matters have triggered an internal review at Trivela regarding the practicality of having an individual with political obligations simultaneously serve as a director of a football club. That review concluded that this is not a workable arrangement and should have been addressed previously.
"Once again, we honour Ms Byrne’s service to the club over the years and thank her for her longstanding and ongoing commitment to its success.
"We hope to move forward from this matter, jointly unwavering in our support for the football club and the broader Drogheda community.
"An interim director will be appointed in due course."
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