The CCFL released a statement on Saturday confirming that all games scheduled to take place between 15-28 March would be called off, after two clubs refused to play their scheduled fixtures earlier in the day. One of those teams was Westside, who were due to travel to Jersey to play against Bulls but opted against boarding their flight.
That decision came despite the UK government and English FA’s advice that football matches at their level could proceed as normal, although non-essential travel in and out of Jersey is now not advised.
‘First and foremost, we have to think about the welfare and the health of the club’s players, management, committee members, supporters and the Jersey public in general,’ said Le Feuvre. ‘The well-being of the Island’s population is of paramount importance and must come first in any decisions we make that affects them.’
Jersey Bulls were due to travel to CCL Premier Division leaders Ascot United on Tuesday to play in the quarter-finals of the Premier Challenge Cup – what would have been the first of six consecutive away games for Gary Freeman’s side.
Le Feuvre said that he is unsure if and how upcoming games will be re-scheduled – if and when the league programme resumes.
It could make for a challenging backlog if the league wishes to have the programme wrapped up before May. However, from a financial point of view, Le Feuvre says Bulls’ travel costs should not be affected by disruptions caused by the Covid-19 pandemic as ‘all flights can be moved to new dates at no extra cost to the club’.
In their statement, the CCFL advised that the situation will be kept under regular review but ‘whether this leads to the rest of the season being cancelled and what happens afterwards will be a matter for discussion in due course and doubtless we will receive instructions from the Football Association.’
