Guernsey won't fix draw to suit themselves

ISLAND GAMES football co-ordinator Tony Blondel has pledged that Guernsey will not have an unfair advantage in this summer's tournament. Jersey were accused of fixing the football fixture list to their benefit and other islands' disadvantage when they hosted the Games in 1997. But it won't happen here.

The Island Games organising committee sent the Guernsey Press a dummy fixture list at the end of last month.

After the football draw was made last Tuesday, the official list was expected to be published two or three days later.

But Blondel said yesterday that the delay was caused by a change in the programme rather than by an attempt to fix the schedule in Guernsey's favour.

'It's been done in a different format from that dummy list.

'We've decided to allocate one ground per group so that the players, supporters and officials of each island can form a relationship with one particular ground,' said Blondel.

Blondel said that he hoped to release an official fixture list by the end of this week and urged interested parties to be patient.

'We're working hard on it, but we're all busy.

'After the draw last week, I had GFA council on Thursday night and I was away with the Guernsey team from Friday until Sunday night. I've got a lot of GFA work on top of Island Games work.'

Blondel said that there was 'a good chance' that Guernsey, who will play all of their group matches at Vale Rec.'s Corbet Field headquarters, would kick off at 7.30pm throughout the competition to maximise public interest.