The side is due to play away to Shamrock FC, which is based in the Ardoyne area of north Belfast, with the September 16 tie scheduled to take place at the ‘Cricky’ pitches on the Cliftonville Road. Saoradh – the political wing of the New IRA – has vowed to be there in numbers to protest against the PSNI. The anti-peace process party says its argument is not with Shamrock FC, but with the police football team. In a statement, it said: “Saoradh call this protest action with confidence that we have the support of many members, players and administrators of various local sports providers with regards to this issue and that avail of this facility.” The PSNI football team is understood to be considering pulling out of the fixture due to the protest threat. There is also the option of asking the Irish Football Association to change the location of the tie to a neutral venue. PSNI Chief Inspector Roberts said: “Police are aware of a planned protest at a football match in Belfast next month.” Police officers and civilian staff are currently under a ‘severe’ threat of attack by dissident republicans. The threat level was raised from ‘substantial’ after the attempted murder in February of Detective Chief Inspector John Caldwell in Omagh. He was targeted in a joint operation by the New IRA and a Tyrone-based drugs gang. The recent PSNI data breach in which the names and locations of 10,000 officers and civilian workers were mistakenly placed online has also heightened the risk against them. Chief Constable Simon Byrne confirmed the information is in the hands of dissident republicans. Last month, Shamrock FC were forced to cancel a friendly match at Ballysillan playing fields in north Belfast following loyalist threats. The club said: “Yet again, our club has been threatened with mass mobilisation and intimidation from using a so-called shared Belfast City Council facility. We just want to play football.”