THE FAROES are back in the Island Games football fold and threaten to deny Guernsey a hat-trick of gold medals in Shetland next July. But it is unclear what strength team the Faroes, a dominant force in the sport until they withdrew after the 1991 Aland Games to concentrate on the European Championships, will send to the 11th Games.

‘We’re not terribly sure what sort of team they will be sending’, said Shetland football organiser Brian Johnston.

‘It could be the national side, a development team or the under-21s,’ he added.

‘One can only welcome that news,’ said GFA president-elect Dave Dorey yesterday. ‘But I doubt that it would be their Uefa team,’ he added.

Johnston also confirmed that Rhodes were among the 16 entries and that Jersey risked not winning a place in the 2007 tournament by skipping the 2005 event.

‘We’ve lost Jersey [from 2003] and gained the Faroes and the Western Isles,’ said Johnston.

As for Rhodes, who initially withdrew from the 2005 football tournament in the immediate furore after the ‘battle of the Corbet Field’ Johnston said there was every indication they would be lining up again next year.

‘They have indicated through their general team management that they will be sending a football team,’ he added.

Rhodes’ participation does not worry Dorey, who also chairs the Guernsey Island Games Association.

‘I am all for building bridges with Rhodes. We cannot keep looking back.

‘I’d certainly like us to play a friendly in Rhodes within the next three years, at some level,’ he added.

Dorey was as critical as anybody with relation to the Rhodes football team’s behaviour, but said it was time to move on and forgive.

‘I was expecting they would play,’ he said.

Although many Guernsey footballers were involved in the abandoned clash of 2003, Dorey said it would largely be a new team going to Greece in four years’ time.

‘I do believe we would be made very welcome in Rhodes.’

Johnston warned, though, that Jersey’s participation in Rhodes was far from clear cut. He said that if the 16 teams from Shetland re-enter the 2007 competition, Jersey would be left on the sidelines.

‘The competition is seeded now [1 to 16] and so Jersey cannot be included as seeds for the following Games.’

Johnston said that plans for the 2003 event were on schedule and 12 grounds would be used for the tournament: ‘The facilities are all ready.’