‘The soul is slipping away’ – Cork City fans to protest before semi-final
Matthew Kiernan of Cork City with teammates dejected after their side's defeat at the SSE Airtricity Men's Premier Division match between St Patrick's Athletic and Cork City at Richmond Park in Dublin. Picture: Shauna Clinton/Sportsfile
Cork City supporters have confirmed that they will stage a protest against the club’s ownership at Turner’s Cross for Friday night’s FAI Cup semi-final against St Patrick’s Athletic.
In a Cork City FC Supporters Group statement, fans accused owner Dermot Usher of overseeing “decline and instability”, warning that the club’s “heart” and “identity” are being eroded.
The protest comes at the end of a season where City’s relegation is almost confirmed, the club needing to pick up a maximum haul of 12 points from their remaining games without Galway United or Waterford FC picking up any more points, to avoid another drop to the First Division.
“Cork City Football Club is one of the best supported clubs in the League of Ireland. With that proud history and unrivalled backing comes expectation – expectation of pride, ambition, and of success,” the statement began. “Cork City supporters do not settle for mediocrity, and we will never accept a future of decline.”
Supporters pointed to what they see as repeated failings in the years since Usher took over, with multiple managerial changes, no clear vision, and what they described as “constant instability”.
“Since Dermot Usher took ownership, the decline has only accelerated,” the statement read. “The club now charges the highest ticket prices in the league, while treating supporters with disdain and pushing us further and further away from the club we built. The connection is gone, the soul is slipping away, and Cork City is being dragged towards becoming nothing more than a yo-yo club bouncing between divisions.”
Fans stressed their protest is not directed at the players, but at the club’s ownership and the direction they believe it is taking.
“Friday night’s protest is not against the players. They have had our full backing all season and will continue to have it. This protest is aimed squarely at the owner and the direction he is taking our club,” the statement said.
“We demand better. We deserve better. This is Cork City Football Club — our club, our community, our pride. It must never be reduced to a plaything or a business experiment.
“Cork City belongs to the people of Cork. And we will not stay silent while its heart, soul and identity are being torn away.”
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