LINFIELD’S league-winning manager David Healy last night said the Blues were “rightly crowned champions” and lamented the fact the current league campaign couldn’t be concluded on the pitch after NIFL finally reached a decision on how to end the season.
After weeks of protracted talks, no agreement could be reached between the 12 Premier League clubs so the NIFL board had no other option than to decide final league positions through a mathematical formula.
The board commissioned an independent stats company – 21st Club – and they reached the conclusion that the fairest way of deciding the outcome was by accepting the current league positions, which means Linfield will advance to the Champions League preliminary round stages and runners-up Coleraine, who finished four points behind the Blues after 31 games, will play in the Europa League.
If Coleraine go on and win the Irish Cup – which will resume at the semi-final stages – third-placed Crusaders will join the Bannsiders in the Europa League qualifiers.
The big losers would appear to be Cliftonville and Institute. The Waterside club were relegated with Portadown winning promotion back to the top flight, while the Reds will feel hard done by as they were nudged into fourth place on a goal difference of one and were due to play the bottom two and would have fancied themselves to leap-frog neighbours Crusaders.
Cliftonville still have the Irish Cup to play for and will face Glentoran in the semi-finals at the end of July with Coleraine taking on Ballymena United.
“I’m absolutely delighted for everyone associated with Linfield Football Club that we’ve been confirmed as champions by NIFL,” said Healy.
“The past few months have been challenging both on and off the pitch and I’m just so pleased for everyone that we’ve been rightly crowned champions tonight.
“The aim at the start of the season was to end up as league winners and it’s great that this aim has been achieved.
“We were four points clear and we have earned the right to be confirmed as league winners in the circumstances that we and indeed other clubs in Europe found ourselves in.”
Speaking to the club’s website, Healy added: “I would like to pay immense tribute to Coleraine. They have won the League Cup and were pushing us hard in the league. It’s so sad that we weren’t able to play out what was shaping up to be an exciting end of season and I’ve no doubt they will be serious challengers next season.
“Of course we would have loved to play out the final league games and win the title in customary fashion but we just had to accept that it wasn’t possible due to these sad and unfortunate circumstances we have all found ourselves in.”
It’s Linfield’s third league crown in four seasons and the club’s 54th.
Annagh United were crowned champions of the Premier Intermediate League, the division below The Championship.
Meanwhile, UEFA have confirmed dates and kick-off times for the Republic of Ireland’s Nations League fixtures under new manager Stephen Kenny when Bulgaria, Finland and Wales will provide the opposition.
These games will be played alongside the Euro 2020 play-off semi-final away to Slovakia on October 8 and a potential play-off final against Bosnia & Herzegovina or Northern Ireland on November 12.
Republic of Ireland Nations League fixtures (Irish time):
Thursday, September 3: Bulgaria vs Republic of Ireland (7:45pm); Sunday, September 6: Republic of Ireland vs Finland (5pm)
Sunday, October 11; Republic of Ireland vs Wales (2pm); Wednesday, October 14: Finland vs Republic of Ireland (5pm); Sunday, November 15: Wales v Republic of Ireland (5pm); Wednesday, November 18: Republic of Ireland vs Bulgaria (7:45pm)
