From Europe to crisis in four years - the rise and fall of Dundalk

Four years ago, Dundalk were playing Arsenal successful nan Europa League. Now, location concerns they tin moreover spot retired nan remainder of nan League of Ireland play amid liquidation fears.

Dundalk are 1 of nan astir successful sides connected nan land of Ireland, but now they are a nine successful crisis.

They won 5 titles successful 7 seasons on pinch 3 FAI Cups and 2 runs successful nan Europa League betwixt 2014 and 2020, but this play has been filled pinch difficulties.

They beryllium bottommost of nan Premier Division pinch six games remaining, and their proprietor is trying to unafraid a woody that will extremity nan nine going into liquidation.

What has happened to a nine pinch a 121-year history that is nan 2nd astir successful successful League of Ireland history? BBC Sport NI takes a look.

This is not nan first clip nan nine has faced financial challenges. In 1998 they were forced to transportation database their full first squad and besides had difficulties arsenic precocious arsenic 2012, earlier recovering to their unprecedented success.

In nan not truthful distant past, Dundalk were nan squad to hit successful nan League of Ireland pinch 5 titles and 3 FAI Cups successful nan abstraction of 7 seasons.

They are besides nan only convention of Ireland nine to scope nan group stages of nan Europa League doubly (2016-17 and 2020-21).

What has followed has been a play of crisp decline, which has coincided pinch guidance changes nether various ownership.

On nan pitch, Dundalk are presently embroiled successful a relegation conflict and beryllium bottommost of nan array pinch six matches remaining. In 2022 they vanished 3rd and were 5th past year.

Club legend-turned-manager Stephen O'Donnell was fto spell aft a disappointing commencement to nan play pinch different erstwhile player, Brian Gartland, replacing him connected an interim basis.

Noel King was yet appointed arsenic imperishable manager, but his tenure lasted 25 days and he near nan role, citing aesculapian issues. Jon Daly has been successful complaint since.

The diminution connected nan transportation has been joined pinch a bleak outlook disconnected it pinch increasing debts reported to beryllium 7 figures and successful nan nine has had 4 abstracted ownership regimes successful caller years.

Current proprietor US-based Irish businessman Brian Ainscough purchased nan nine from Andy Connolly and StatSports successful December 2023.

Connolly, who had antecedently owned nan nine pinch section businessman Paul Brown, had sold it to an American finance patient Peak6 successful 2018 earlier re-buying nan nine pinch StatSports successful 2021.

In position of Ainscough's acquisition of nan club, nan Football Association of Ireland [FAI] admitted that a "loophole" meant not each financial checks were carried retired earlier nan ownership change.

Speaking astatine nan FAI's AGM successful September, interim main executive David Courell conceded that nan club's Premier Division Licence had been completed a period anterior to nan takeover, meaning financial checks were carried retired connected nan erstwhile owners alternatively than nan prospective caller ones.

Fears complete nan club's finances and expertise to decorativeness nan play came to ray successful caller weeks erstwhile players and unit had their wages delayed.

Ainscough admitted successful a connection that nan nine were experiencing "financial difficulties" and his attempts to unafraid further finance did not travel done for "various reasons".

That was followed by fears nan nine could spell nether connected Monday, but talks to unafraid nan club's early are ongoing.

Reaching nan group stages of European title is often seen arsenic nan promised onshore for clubs connected some sides of nan Irish separator owed to nan financial windfall that brings.

For example, Larne precocious earned £2.6m by becoming nan first Irish Premiership broadside to suffice for nan group stages of nan Uefa Conference League - and that could emergence pinch payments for results and media rights.

Gartland played for Dundalk successful some nan club's European campaigns and said a batch of nan perceived occurrence astir nan nine successful Europe was "superficial" arsenic they had to play location matches distant from Oriel Park, which did not meet Uefa's criteria.

Their 2nd run successful 2020-21 was besides played down closed doors owed to nan Covid-19 pandemic.

"Anytime a nine goes to a greater region successful Europe, they either person to play astatine Tallaght aliases Lansdowne Road (Aviva Stadium)," Gartland told RTE Sport.

"A batch of nan occurrence you spot is connected nan extracurricular but underneath it is wherever you request to get it.

"You request to put successful beardown structures truthful that this worldly doesn't happen."

Gartland added that nan structures were required to nan early of a nine wasn't "at nan behest of 1 owner" and shared his concerns astir increasing wages wrong nan convention without further gross streams.

Derry City head Ruaidhri Higgins spent clip pinch Dundalk some arsenic a subordinate and adjunct coach nether Stephen Kenny.

He said nan club's plight was "extremely sad" and said "there are immoderate really bully group down location who merit a spot better".

"You ne'er for illustration to spot that hap to anybody, truthful fingers crossed they tin get themselves retired of it."

"It wasn't that agelong agone that they were enjoying awesome success. It conscionable shows if location is mismanagement astir really things tin flip."

One of Higgins' existent players, Patrick McEleney, spent six seasons astatine Oriel Park during nan club's astir caller play of occurrence and he added that it is "an astonishing place".

"My children were raised location and it ever has a typical spot pinch maine and my family.

"It's a monolithic nine pinch a monolithic instrumentality base, truthful hopefully it each gets sorted."

After fears nan nine would spell into liquidation arsenic early arsenic Monday, it emerged that Ainscough was speaking to a number of parties arsenic fans gathered extracurricular Oriel Park to show interest for their club.

The ongoing talks time off 3 imaginable opportunities for Dundalk – each pinch varying outlooks connected nan club’s future.

Until a woody is agreed, past liquidation is still a worst lawsuit anticipation for Dundalk fixed nan fears nan nine would spell nether connected Monday.

The harm it would do to not only nan club, but nan municipality and region Louth, needs small mentation arsenic its 121-year history would travel to an abrupt close.

But location would besides beryllium important harm to nan FAI and League of Ireland if Dundalk were to spell nether earlier nan extremity of nan season.

It's highly apt that each of Dundalk’s results would beryllium expunged, which would spot Shelbourne spell from a four-point lead to astatine nan apical of nan Premier Division to being 1 constituent down Higgins' Derry City – albeit pinch 1 crippled successful hand.

Waterford, who are chasing a European place, would driblet from 3rd to sixth arsenic positions would chop and alteration successful nan table.

If a woody is to beryllium struck past location are 2 scenarios that could play out.

Dundalk could participate SCARP (Small Company Administrative Rescue Process) arsenic portion of a takeover deal. SCARP is simply a 45-day salvage strategy that was established successful 2021, and would lead to nan club’s debts being restructured.

It would let Dundalk to fulfil nan remainder of nan season, but a points conclusion for entering management would use and they would beryllium relegated to nan first division. But, crucially, nan nine would survive.

The champion lawsuit script is that immoderate caller owners would sorb nan club’s debts arsenic portion of nan takeover. That would let Dundalk to debar a points conclusion and conflict their relegation conflict connected nan pitch.

Shortly aft taking over, Ainscough described Oriel Park arsenic a "pig sty"., external Thomas Byrne, nan Irish government’s sports minister, announced connected Monday that nan 500,000 euro assistance to amended nan stadium’s artificial transportation and floodlights would beryllium brought guardant successful a bid to effort and pull immoderate imaginable bidders.

Optimism has grown aft a bleak outlook connected Monday morning, but until a woody is struck past uncertainty will stay astir nan early of 1 of nan League of Ireland’s astir storied clubs.