Larne boss Tiernan Lynch has voiced his opposition to the reintroduction of a wage cap in the Irish League
The return of the wage cap is expected to be rubber-stamped at a crucial showdown of the 12 clubs of the Sports Direct Premiership on Monday night.
And the thorny issue of summer football will also be discussed at what is anticipated to be a pivotal meeting for local football.
Most clubs are thought to be broadly in favour of some form of wage cap, though League Champions Larne are dead against the move.
Two representatives from each club have been invited to the meeting at Windsor Park, and Larne owner Kenny Bruce is expected to attend to argue against the recommendation.
One insider told the Sunday Life the summit could be lively as “there is some tough talking to be done”.
Sunday Life Sport revealed in November 2023 that the Northern Ireland Football League (NIFL) had set up a working group drawn from the clubs to look into the feasibility of and appetite for a wage cap.
In 2010, the clubs implemented the Salary Cap Protocol (SCP), which operated until 2020.
The SCP was deemed obsolete following the investments of Bruce and Ali Pour at Larne and Glentoran respectively, with most clubs happy to let it drop.
But spiralling wages and debts have forced most clubs into a rethink and the Inver Park club might find itself in the minority on Monday night.
Larne boss Tiernan Lynch railed against the proposal recently, declaring “it doesn’t make sense to me”, but sources suggest many Premiership clubs would welcome a new wage cap after several top-flight clubs recorded significant losses in the year ending December 2022 totalling over £2million.
It is understood there are a couple of models to be discussed, including a
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