LOAN HUNTERS!
Ross and Treacy demand ‘urgent’ answers on FAI’s Delaney dealings
THE FAI have been instructed by Sports Minister Shane Ross to provide ‘urgent clarification’ about the controversial €100,000 loan given to the Association by chief executive John Delaney in 2017.
Acting on the direct intervention of Ross, Sport Ireland CEO John Treacy has written to the FAI President Donal Conway.
Sports Ireland has called on the FAI board of directors to ‘clarify the media reports concerning a loan’ from Delaney, ‘including the circumstances of the loan and its repayment.’
They have also asked the FAI’s auditors to provide clarity on the matter.
News of Delaney’s €100k loan to the FAI in April 2017 was revealed at the weekend, despite Delaney’s legal efforts to prevent publication in a newspaper.
Delaney has since defended the short-term loan,
stating it was paid back in full two months later, that it was to cover a ‘cash flow’ issue and was also ‘in the best interests of the Association’. However, the issue of transparency is a major concern for Sport Ireland, which has given the FAI more than €50m in government funds in the past 10 years. The agency, which oversees the development of sport in Ireland, says ‘it was not notified at any stage in 2017 about any apparent material deterioration in the FAI’s financial position... and has sought additional clarification.’ Minister Ross said he asked Sport Ireland to contact the FAI Board to request a report on the circumstances of the €100,000 loan. ‘Sport Ireland has been assured by FAI auditors that public funds are allocated by the FAI to the intended programmes.’ In a further headache for the FAI, an insider has handed over documents to a high-powered Dail committee detailing allegations of governance issues within the FAI. Delaney was in Nyon on UEFA business yesterday. He is due back in Dublin today. As of last night, no FAI Board meeting had been called.