DERRY CITY have expressed disappointment both with the decision of Uefa to refuse them permission to play in the Europa League next season and with the actions of Bohemians who will, barring a successful appeal, be offered the opportunity to step up to take their place.

The northerners learned yesterday that they have failed in their attempt to secure a derogation from Uefa’s rule that clubs must have been licensed to compete in their own countries for a minimum of three seasons before they can obtain one to play in European club competition. City fail to meet the criteria because of the financial crises at the Brandywell that resulted in the formation of a new club around eight months short of three years ago.

Because of that the club’s officials admitted they weren’t entirely surprised by the bad news yesterday but they said they were extremely disappointed to hear Bohemians had written to both the FAI and Uefa pointing out, according to the Dubliners, “that Derry’s position was similar to that of clubs that had previously been refused entry to the competition”.

City chairman Philip O’Doherty said he was taken aback by the news. “I’m surprised that a fellow League of Ireland club would behave in that manner,” he said.

O’Doherty confirmed that the club will be consulting with the FAI before deciding on whether to appeal the decision but conceded that the potential cost of such a move, which must go directly to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) in Switzerland is a significant deterrent.

“The FAI have done their best to assist us with the application, they’ve been a great help and we’re very grateful because we feel that every question that Uefa came back to us with was addressed in full. We’ve tried to point out to them that the club is a new entity but that it has paid off every footballing debt left by the previous one as well as meeting all of its current obligations.

“It’s disappointing that they haven’t recognised what we have done in difficult circumstances,” he said, “but we’ll talk with John Delaney over the next few days before deciding what to do next because our understanding is that the legal bill alone for an appeal to CAS could be £100,000.”

Bohemians must wait for an invitation to participate before addressing some of the licensing issues involved, although a spokesman said that because of their regular involvement in recent seasons, they are confident that any requirements can be met.