A claim from the football administrator in Shetland, Brian Johnston, that Jersey faced missing out on Rhodes 2007 as a limit of 16 men’s teams has been reached for the 2005 Games – to which Jersey are not sending a team – has been refuted.
The new Island Games Association of Jersey chairman, Bob McGinnigle, said: ‘There is no issue of Jersey being unable to play football in Rhodes that I am aware of and I will seek clarification at the international annual general meeting in July.
The top four teams in Shetland will be seeded so it is likely that Jersey will have a seeded team in their group.’ Johnston told the Guernsey Press that Jersey risked not winning a place in the 2007 tournament by skipping next year’s event, saying that, as the competition is now seeded 1-16, if all those teams travelled to Rhodes, then Jersey would be left on the sidelines.
McGinnigle explained his confidence: ‘It appears to me that the comments made may have been referring to a paper published in March 2003, the Future of the Games.
‘There were a range of options in it, should there be a need to limit the number of participants or sports.
‘We are considering a range of changes to the constitution and several formulations will be proposed for adoption at the International Island Games Association agm in Shetland in July.’ The Jersey Football Association, who are without a sponsor, decided not to send men’s or ladies’ teams to Shetland, preferring to put funds towards next year’s centenary celebrations.
