FAI IS HAULED BEFORE DAIL OVER DEBT CRISIS
Minister removes funding from body
THE FAI will be hauled before a powerful Dail committee tomorrow as its former chief said the organisation is “clearly insolvent”.
It has also emerged the Government will restore funding directly to smaller clubs because Sports Minister Shane Ross believes the body “can’t be trusted”.
Former FAI chief Fran Rooney welcomed the move and told RTE’S Morning Ireland: “The FAI can’t pay its bills as they fall due. It doesn’t have the assets to pay its liabilities.
“I think it is a very dire situation for the football association to find itself in. I think the move by Mr Ross is a step in the right direction.”
The FAI’S former general secretary Brendan Menton said he does not believe the organisation can survive without outside help. He told Today with
Shane Ross
Pair dressed as mermaids yesterday
Sean O’rourke: “I don’t think the FAI have the capacity to fix their problems.
“They need to get all stakeholders on board, including UEFA and FIFA.
“I hope a independent chairman and independent directors can come on board and provide leadership and restore the FAI brand.
“If it can be solved, the debt is going to have to be pushed out by many years
ACTIVISTS from the Extinction Rebellion group have called on ministers to end the practice of overfishing in Irish waters.
Around 50 demonstrators gathered outside Leinster House in Dublin yesterday. The
– so God knows how long it’s going to be before things are stabilised.”
Minister Ross said he is restoring funding to grassroots soccer because the FAI “can’t be trusted” to deliver the cash.
He added: “We are not going to be paying it to the FAI any more .... there’s no money going to them. We’ve devised a mechanism which we think will work, to give it to a third party [which] will
ON MORNING IRELAND YESTERDAY
protest is the latest in a series of “direct action” protests by the environmental group, which held a week-long campaign of “civil disobedience” in October.
Two demonstrators were dressed as mermaids, covered in seashells and recycled items while others dressed as fishermen.
A statement from the group said: “The Government appears to have no plans to end business as usual when it comes to overfishing.” distribute it to the clubs by paying the developments officers who do the programmes which is so important to the small clubs.”
Mr Ross revealed he won’t be attending the meeting tomorrow and admitted the FAI don’t like him.
He said: “No, they don’t like me at all and they’ve got justification... I don’t like them very much quite honestly. I certainly don’t like the old board.”
Minister Ross also defended previous statements he made backing the FAI, saying: “Of course nobody knew what was going on. We were all rejoicing in the success of the Irish team and the success of Irish football.
“We’ve got to be very vigilant in future and that’s what we intend to be.”
The FAI will sit down with the Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport tomorrow at 1.30pm.
The FAI cannot be trusted. It can’t pay its bills. I think it is a very dire situation
FRAN ROONEY
MAKING A SPLASH Protesters at Leinster House