Byrne reiterates stance after being told to resign
Drogheda United co-chairperson Joanna Byrne has reiterated she will not resign despite being instructed to in writing by the club's American owners. The Trivela Group, which owns the League of Ireland club, released a statement on Wednesday which said it had "provided written instruction" to Byrne to resign as director and co-chair. Last month, Byrne said that she had been told her position on the club's board was "no longer tenable" after comments she made about the Republic of Ireland's scheduled Nations League fixtures with Israel.
In her role as a spokesperson on sport for political party Sinn Fein, Byrne said she was "angry and dismayed" that the Republic of Ireland will fulfil the fixtures in September and October, and said "Israel should not be in this competition". Byrne, who is also a Teachta Dala (TD, Irish member of parliament) for Louth, had said she intended to "resist" the request for her to resign, but in Wednesday's statement the Trivela Group claimed it had the power to enforce change. Byrne and Drogheda dispute resignation claims over Israel comments "For the avoidance of doubt, this decision was not taken in any way on the basis of Ms Byrne's political views or beliefs, which she has expressed freely and in a public manner for the duration of her directorship," the Trivela Group's statement said.
"Rather, this decision followed a statement made regarding private discussions with Club ownership. "This not only caused a breakdown in the trust and confidence necessary for her to continue in the role as a director of the Club, but also sharpened the governance concerns that had been the topic of those original discussions. " Speaking after the Trivela Group's statement, Byrne said on RTE , external that the statement was "deeply emotive for me and quite upsetting", but was "not surprising" as she reiterated she would not resign.
"This is nothing more than a formal follow-on in writing by Trivela Group from the meeting on 16 February where expectations for me to resign were expressed after I was told my position as Chairperson was untenable. I stated at that stage I would not resign and that remains my position today," she said. "I am under no illusion that this is solely as a result of my comments in my capacity as Sinn Fein Spokesperson on sport that the Ireland v Israel match should not go ahead, and I think people will see it for what it is.
"I will now consider the options open to me and proceed from there. " Drogheda's principal sponsor, Sullivan and Lambe, issued a statement on social media last month showing support for Byrne, and said it would be "actively reviewing" its position as sponsor, which it has held since the start of 2025. Trivela's statement said the situation with Byrne had "triggered an internal review at Trivela regarding the practicality of having an individual with political obligations simultaneously serve as a director of a football club.