Pressure mounting on Irish FA as another church group urges Irish Cup final to be moved from Sunday

​Following yesterday’s appeal by Presbyterian churches in Ballymena for a rethink, the Free Presbyterian Church have added their weight to the Sunday football debate.

Ahead of the semi-finals of the competition the Government and Morals Committee of the church urging all four clubs not to play in the final on Sunday, May 7 as to do so would be a “retrograde step for society”.

The Irish FA have said very little on the subject other than to point out they announced in December when the draw was being made for the fifth round that the final would move to Sunday to accommodate nationwide coverage and events for King Charles III’s Coronation.

When asked again today if they were open to discussion with those who believe the Irish Cup final should not be played on a Sunday, a spokesperson for the IFA would not provide an answer, instead referring to the statement concerning when the announcement was made.

The convenor of the Free Presbyterian Church’s Government and Morals Committee, Rev Gordon Dane, said that before the Irish Cup semi finals they had written to Crusaders, Larne, Dungannon Swifts and Ballymena United urging them not to play in a Sunday final and also to David Jeffrey and Stephen Baxter, the managers of Crusaders and Ballymena United, who have been opposed to Sunday games in the past.

Rev Dane said that it is important that the Christian beliefs of players, staff and fans who believe in the keeping of the Sabbath should be not only respected but held to be important factors in the ethos of clubs.

He added: “Many fans and staff of both Crusaders and Ballymena United are evangelical Christians and we regard the further breaking of the Sabbath as a very grave retrograde step for our society.

"Staff from Irish league clubs who are Christians have been in touch with the committee to say that their position will be undermined if these clubs play on Sunday.

"We are asking the IFA to reconsider their plans to play this and other matches on Sunday.”

Crusaders were due to hold a board meeting tonight at which the Sunday final would be discussed.

Ballymena United are due to address the cup final conundrum at a board meeting in the coming days.