DERRY JOURNAL Editorial: ​UEFA should be more flexible on Derry City home ground

​The football governing body’s unbending insistence that the game must be played in Tallaght presents a major inconvenience to the home support who face an eight hour round trip if they wish to see one of the most important matches for the club in years.

To be blunt, UEFA’s statement that a ‘venue may be the ground of the home club or another ground in the same or another city within the territory of its association’ and that exceptions will only be made should no other suitable venue be available on the 'home territory' of a competing club does not take sufficient account of the unique circumstances and history of the football club and the league.

This has been pointed out to UEFA President Aleksander Čeferin by Mr. Eastwood who has rightly praised the Irish Football Association and Linfield FC for their generosity in making Windsor Park available and has asked for this option to be reconsidered should Derry City managing to progress on Thursday or during further European runs in the future.

An exception could be made at the stroke of a pen and UEFA should be more attuned to how jarring and nonsensical the ‘home territory’ language sounds to Irish ears.

The body should, as Mr. Eastwood has urged, be aware of the unique historical circumstances that led to the request to play at Windsor Park and have a rethink.

23 photographs of Derry City versus the greats: Benfica at the Brandywell 1989