FAI - SHENANIGANS!!

Eyepopper

Lowering the tone since 2006
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Haven't seen it being discussed elsewhere...

Sport Ireland is to immediately suspend and withhold funding to the FAI.

The statutory authority said it has made the decision after the FAI said they "did not comply with Clause 4.3 of Sport Ireland’s Terms & Conditions of Grant Approval."

The board of Sport Ireland met earlier to discuss the ongoing controversy over a €100,000 "bridging loan" given to the FAI in 2017 by former CEO and now Executive Vice President, John Delaney.

Sport Ireland said that in making its decision to suspend and withhold funding "the Board of Sport Ireland notes that the FAI has already been paid 50% of its 2019 funding to date and some positive steps taken by the FAI in recent days."

Sport Ireland said the decision will be reviewed by the board "as a standing item at each of its future meetings".

The board said it will consider reinstatement of funding "once all ongoing reports commissioned by the FAI have been completed and the recommendations adopted".

Sport Ireland said it would continue to provide non-financial assistance and guidance to the FAI.

A statement from FAI President Donal Conway said that Irish football's governing body has noted the decision.

"It is unfortunate that Sport Ireland now feel compelled to take this action in the wake of recent events," the statement read.

"The €2.7million funding Sport Ireland provides annually to the FAI is crucial to the development of an inclusive approach to football in Ireland.

"As indicated at its meeting with Sport Ireland last Friday and in recent correspondence, the Association is keen to restore trust and confidence and rebuild the relationship with Sport Ireland as soon as possible."

The statement said the FAI "has committed to take all appropriate steps in this regard."

Mr Conway added: "I am fully confident that through the processes now in place, we will be in a position to satisfy Sport Ireland in relation to both governance and financial issues and ensure that the 50% balance of funding due for 2019 is restored at the appropriate time."

Yesterday the football association admitted to breaking the rules for getting State funding by not notifying Sport Ireland of the €100,000 loan from its former CEO John Delaney.

“Certain circumstances arose in April 2017 were not reported to Sport Ireland,” admitted the association, adding that it will work to establish “a process to ensure the FAI are, in future, fully compliant”.

The admission is included in remarks from the FAI president, Donal Conway, which will be made to the Oireachtas sport committee.

The FAI has also acknowledged inaccuracies in its initial public response about the controversial payment after it was disclosed last month.

Representatives from the FAI are due before the Oireachtas Sport Committee tomorrow.

Committee chair Fergus O'Dowd says members will focus on governance at the FAI.

"Well, that's what our committee is about. To go into all of the issues in relation to the governance of the FAI," said Mr O'Dowd.

"In relation to the €100,000 payment - the governance issues around that - and the knowledge that the board had or didn't have of that information.

"It will be a fair, it will be a frank, it will be obviously a very robust debate."
tl;dr - it looks like some seriously shady shit has been going on in the FAI (shocked face!), to the point that their funding has been withdrawn and the board is being hauled in front of a government committee tomorrow to explain.

Popcorn at the ready tomorrow.
 
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AaronRedDevil

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The cracks of Irish football has been there for years. Not much money going in and we are counting on footballers that should be retired. There's barely even a set up anymore Or any real quality. The FAI are corrupted as feck. Filling there own pockets and barely any of it probably goes into the structure.
 

padr81

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Corrupt shitty organisation that couldn't organize a piss up in a brewery.
 

Brophs

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What’s happening today is both utterly extraordinary and, sadly, entirely what you would have expected the FAI to do. What’s becoming clear, though, is they won’t all survive this and they’re now all trying to circle the same wagons that they’re trying to throw each other under the wheels of.
 

Charlie Foley

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Roy Keane was right.

No one with any sense can have any hope for that committee hearing, surely. Same old same old from these corrupt wankers
 

Eyepopper

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"What's that lads?

There's going to be an audit?

OK, OK, I resign!"

 

Red00012

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He’s offers to step aside while an enquiry begins, I wonder does he get to max the credit card while he steps aside . What a decent guy.
 

Still ill

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Ironic that the most noteworthy item on his breathtaking expenses list should be for laundering.
 

Zebs

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Looks like they'll all be gone. Rejoice!
 

Mr Anderson

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All as corrupt as each other. feck them out and hang them to dry, make us as transparent as possible. Dickheads thinking they have a easy number.
 

Brophs

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Pretty extraordinary stuff. SIPTU is seeking a meeting with Shane Ross, as it believes there's a chance the FAI will be insolvent within weeks.

 

Pogue Mahone

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Oh man. This is such a fecking shambles.

I've recently become fixture secretary for my son's club, which involves a lot of dealing with the DDSL (biggest schoolboy football league in Ireland) and they are astonishingly inept. Mainly because it's entirely run by volunteers, who are all trying to organise the league in their free time away from their day jobs. A competition that features well over 100 different leagues, with 120 different clubs competing in it. Chronically under-funded and utterly chaotic.

The difference between the way football and rugby is run in Ireland is incredible. Yet both organisations had the same turnover when Delaney was appointed. Now we have one organisation punching way above it's weight in international competition, with a conveyor belt of young stars coming out of locally based clubs. And the other... well... isn't.

How the feck did it all go so wrong?
 

Champagne Football

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Will be fascinating to see how this all ends. JD is well crafted in the arts of covering his tracks and deflecting blame, so wouldn't be surprised if he gets out of this one somehow.
 

Brophs

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The whole thing was so utterly inevitable as soon as the funding was suspended. I suspect SIPTU might be shining it on a touch, as they need to make hay by whatever means, but an organisation that needs its CEO to issue it with a €100k loan isn't going to be able to bridge the sort of financial shortfall that will naturally occur when the funding is withdrawn. The banks won't see them as a good mark for recovery. Also, don't forget, John Delaney is currently trying to get a golden handshake worth several million €.
 

golden_blunder

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If they have no money and can’t secure funding then how will the LOI and indeed the national team survive?
 

Brophs

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It is with a heavy heart that I have to report that the FAI are at it again, lads.

 

Brophs

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But yeah, SIPTU revealing the extent of the problems is the real issue here.