NIALL PLAY MY PART TO HELP THE GAME HERE

NIALL QUINN will be paid as interim Deputy CEO of the FAI – but insists it will be “a fraction of what the old gang” got.

And the Ireland legend revealed he will defer his payment while the threat of redundancy continues to hang over rank and file FAI staff.

Quinn said his FAI appointment is “for a short period of time” but believes the financially crippled association will be saved.

“I’m led to believe that there is assistance in place from the three stakeholders – the banks, UEFA and the Government – that will allow the game to move forward,” he said.

Quinn (above) had repeatedly insisted he was not interested in succeeding John Delaney as chief executive.

And last week, Gary Owens was appointed to that role on an interim basis with executive lead Paul Cooke reverting to vice-president duties.

But Quinn maintained he was willing to play a part in helping Irish football out of this crisis with debts soaring past €62 million. Speaking to Virgin Media One, Quinn said of his new role: “It is interim and it is for a short period of time we believe.

“But in that period of time it is important that a strategy is developed that everybody is feeding into so that whoever comes afterwards, they’re not starting all over again.

“I’ve stepped over the line because I believe it will be good and it will be good enough.

“That’s not that I know any of the figures involved, I don’t know where it will end up when it is finally announced, (but) I hope it is announced very soon.”

Quinn acknowledged the ‘difficult time’ that FAI staff are experiencing and said he will meet with them on Monday in the hope of ‘instilling more confidence’.

He added: “Right now, it’s still in that stage of not sure where we’re going and they understand a lot is being done to relieve the pain.”

The former Sunderland chairman confirmed he would be paid by the FAI.

“Gary (Owens) and I got put back in our box a bit and were told we had to be held accountable,” he said.

“I deferred mine – let’s see how the redundancies work out and let’s see where the Association gets to before I take mine.”