He started well but got carried away - Giles

package stalled because of disclosures in the ‘Sunday Times’ on April 14 about Delaney’s credit card spend of €40,000 and FAI payments of €60,000 to a third party for ‘professional fees.’ Delaney remained on gardening leave on €30,000 a month through a summer of turmoil for the Association before his departure was signed off on September 28 in a package worth €462,000. The book points out that when Delaney became chief executive in October 2004, Irish club football was ranked 35th of 51 nations in Europe; when he left, it was 42nd of 55. While the Republic of Ireland, who were ranked 14th in the world at the time of his appointment, had fallen to 36th, qualifying for two major finals. This was in spite of throwing huge wages at high profile managers such as Giovanni Trapattoni, O’Neill and Mick McCarthy. John Giles summed up his contribution. ‘Delaney started well but like a lot of dictators he got carried away,’ he said. Brendan Dillon, a former FAI board member, felt the cost of keeping Delaney in power has cost the FAI an estimated €65m. ‘How can they pay that back? It’s so depressing.’ There are also details on the salaries of other senior figures in Irish football. Ireland manager Stephen Kenny is on a staggered deal which will see his salary jump from €300,000 this year to €540,000 in 2021. Robbie Keane, passed over by Kenny from the Irish set-up and sitting at home in Malahide, has a four-year FAI contract rising to €250,000. All FAI staff are currently on deferred wages. Roy Keane, paid €680,000 as Irish assistant in 2018, got a pay-off of €214,000 in 2019, separate to the €1.6m settlement with ex-manager Martin O’Neill and his backroom staff. The FAI last night moved close to appointing a permanent successor to Delaney. It is understood they have a preferred male candidate, with ties to the English game. Sarah Keane, CEO of Swim Ireland and President of the Olympic Federation of Ireland, was on the short-list.