DELANEY ON THE BRINK

Axe to fall as FAI ready to announce major shake-up

THE FAI is set to confirm the departure of John Delaney from the payroll today as part of a cull of senior association figures. After ruling as chief executive for nearly 15 years, and serving as executive vice-president for less than a month, Delaney will leave under a shadow of shame. Whether he is permitted to continue with his plum €160,000-a-year job on the UEFA Executive Committee remains to be seen. At an emergency board meeting today, Delaney’s exit will be rubberstamped, along with that of veteran board members, honorary secretary Michael Cody and honorary treasurer Eddie Murray. It represents the biggest shake-up of the FAI hierarchy since ‘the night of the long knives’ in 1996 when president Louis Kilcoyne and treasurer Joe Delaney, father of John, were ousted. Back then, the FAI revolted from within after revelations that Delaney Snr dealt with a ticket tout at the 1994 World Cup, leading to a cash shortfall for the association. This time, it is the Government who have blown the whistle on the FAI by demanding change in the fallout to Delaney’s secret €100,000 dig-out to the association two years ago. Delaney’s snub to the state watchdogs last Wednesday, when he refused to shed any light on the transaction, has led to his downfall. It prompted a furious Taoiseach Leo Varadkar to warn the FAI they risked losing all state funding, not just €2.9m a year from Sport Ireland. Varadkar’s emissary, Minister for Sport Shane Ross, yesterday warned the FAI that it may not be eligible for the looming capital sports grants if its corporate governance is not in order. Ross said he had ‘ongoing concerns’ about the association’s governance and also the ‘circumstances surrounding a financial transaction.’ Projects reliant on state aid include those at Dalymount Park and Glanmire, as well as new grounds for Drogheda United and Finn Harps. Including state subsidies for their regional development officers, the FAI could lose up to €25m in much-needed funds. As the FAI’s reputation plunges, a former FAI director has called for a complete overhaul. ‘The current situation requires a complete clean out of the FAI board and senior staff of the association,’ said John Byrne. ‘A commission of three to four people must then be installed to run the FAI for a period of 18 months to two years. ‘All committees and the national council must also be stood down and a new long term governance structure approved at an EGM. There should be no appointment of a new CEO during that period.’