FAI ‘UNDER INVESTIGATION BY THE ODCE’

All financial ‘books and records’ sought in visit to HQ

THE Office of the Director of Corporate Enforcement is investigating the finances of the FAI and visited its Dublin HQ last week, the Irish Daily Mail can reveal.

It is understood ODCE officers interviewed some senior FAI officials during their visit to the association’s headquarters at Abbotstown.

The white-collar crime agency sought all ‘books and records’ pertaining to financing at the beleaguered football association, according to senior sources.

One source said: ‘An investigation has begun. It will be a painstaking and lengthy investigation.’ The prospect of criminal charges resulting from the ongoing controversy was raised after the FAI’s

‘Painstaking and lengthy’

auditors, Deloitte, reported that the association had failed to keep adequate accounting records.

The Taoiseach suggested in the Dáil on Tuesday that an ODCE investigation might be necessary before State funding could be restored to the troubled football body.

Leo Varadkar said: ‘Government wants this [funding] to continue because it is our role to fund youth in sport, participation and women’s sports, to help fund local clubs around the country and to support major tournaments.

‘We cannot do this, however, until the accounting problems, financial irregularities and corporate governance problems in the FAI are put right.

‘It may also be necessary for the ODCE to carry out an investigation under company law if there have been breaches.’

The Taoiseach said such an investigation must ‘restore confidence in how the FAI is being run’ in order to move forward with funding and promoting the sport.

Sport Ireland chief John Treacy said yesterday that former FAI chief John Delaney ‘isn’t a part of the FAI any more’ but could not rule out a potential return, pending the outcome of an investigation by auditing group Mazars.

‘From what I gather, John Delaney isn’t part of the FAI any more. He’s on gardening leave or whatever the description is. We have to park that and get on with our business,’ said Mr Treacy.

‘We have people within the FAI that we’re working with. We will continue to work with them and see some reforms implemented over the next couple of months. We have to pave the way for an AGM that happens in July.’

Asked whether Mr Delaney should have resigned, rather than stepped aside, he said: ‘I don’t’ really want to comment on that.

He refused to comment on the possibility that Mr Delaney could yet return to the FAI. ‘I can’t comment on that, there’s an investigation going on. I don’t want to prejudge anything. I do understand that Mazars’ review, an independent investigation, will be very thorough,’ said Mr Treacy.

Sport Ireland has seen a copy of the terms of reference for the Mazars inquiry.

Mr Delaney has been placed on ‘voluntary gardening leave’, pending the outcome of the Mazar inquiry, but will remain on the FAI payroll. The remaining members of the FAI board have all agreed to step down from their roles by July.

Aidan Horan, a director of the Institute of Public Administration, will head up the new Governance Review Group at the FAI, and will begin work today. Mr Treacy said this was ‘really important’ because ‘they’re going to lay the framework for what the FAI will look like in the future in terms of governance’.

‘The board of the FAI must lead the organisation, not the chief executive,’ said Mr Treacy.

‘I think that’s a lesson that everyone within the FAI has learned.’

‘Restore confidence in how FAI is run’