THE Island Games football champions are unlikely to defend their title in Rhodes. Following the furore with the Guernsey Football Association deciding not to enter teams into next summer’s NatWest Island Games on the Mediterranean island and then going back on their decision this week, Shetland are close to pulling out themselves.
Some media had reported that the Scottish isle were definitely not going but that has been rubbished by Shetland FA chairman, Magnus Flaws, although he does expect them to decide not to go when their board meet on Thursday 5 October.
‘We’ve not made a decision yet,’ he said.
‘Some of the players are keen but some of the married ones aren’t. Because of chartered flights, going from a Wednesday to the Wednesday after the games, it will take three weeks out of someone’s work.’
Shetland’s manager Neil Bristol resigned two weeks ago after he announced that he could not commit to spending that amount of time to the tournament.
Cost is another factor. Flaws estimates it will cost each player between £800 to £900 to attend the Games.
And like the GFA, Shetland also have concerns about the 30C plus heat that could greet the players in Rhodes.
‘We don’t want to kill anyone,’ said Flaws.
‘It’s a game of football but we don’t want to injure anyone. It’s not going to be very nice.
‘We’d like to defend our medal but it’s going to be very difficult for us to go.’
With the different reasons, Flaws believes that they would not be able to field their full strength team if they were to go.
‘We want to defend it, that’s our ultimate goal, but we’re not going to defend it with a Mickey Mouse team,’ he said.
Shetland won the gold medal on their home pitch last year, when they defeated Steve Ogier’s Guernsey side, 2-0. Shetland’s success was clouded with rumours that their team was made up of players based off the island.
‘To be quite honest that side they had mainly came from mainland Scotland,’ said Ogier.
‘Their manager was on a six-month contract from Inverness Caledonian. Normally they are the whipping boys and to produce a side like that, it was obviously something they always wanted to win.
‘If Shetland played in Rhodes I’d be very, very surprised if it would be the same team that beat us.
‘You can look at it two ways: you want as many sides there as possible to get a full complement but perhaps we will not have to play as many games.
‘It would have been nice to have seen them there but I’d be surprised if they got a team out like that again.’
Word has been going around that some of the Scandinavian islands were also considering not going. Member islands have until December to announce what sports they were going to take part in.
One island which looked certain of not entering a football team was Shetland’s neighbour, Orkney.
‘That’s what it’s looking like, we’re 99% certain we won’t be travelling,’ said Orkney FA secretary Mike Borston.
‘We’re struggling to get a full squad to be able to travel. In effect the decision’s been made and we now just need to inform our Island Games Association.
‘We’re disappointed in the fact that we’ve been to the last three Games and we’ve been improving.
‘It was the cost element and the acclimatising we would have to do.
‘It will be more beneficial for us if we play in Scotland instead.’
Article posted on 21st September, 2006 - 12.00am
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