Sport Ireland to Preface FAI Oireachtas Date

The timetable is becoming clearer now on when and where politicians will get to explore the FAI’s finances and jobs scenario in Leinster House as opposed to in the media.

Sport Ireland has confirmed that it has been invited and accepted that invitation, to appear before the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Tourism, Transport and Sport on Wednesday, April 3rd.

That means that on the Committee schedule the FAI, which will be led by interim CEO Rea Walshe with Executive Vice President John Delaney also in attendance will appear on April 10th.

The FAI had offered an earlier date but that now appears unlikely.

The FAI said a week ago that they had written to the President of the FAI Donal Conway seeking clarity about why they were not notified in 2017 about the ‘material deterioration’ in the FAI’s financial position that necessitated the loan of €100,000 from the CEO at that time, John Delaney.

The FAI has since said that it has replied with that clarification of the issues to Sport Ireland but the state agency responsible for governance and oversight of Government investment in sport has not made any further comment on whether it deems that to be a full and frank explanation.

The committee that will explore these issues is made up of seven TD’s and four senators as follows:

Fergus O’Dowd – Finne Gael, Chair
Ruth Coppinger, Solidarity People Before Profit
Imelda Munster, Sinn Féin
Catherine Murphy, Social Democrats
Kevin O’Keeffe, Fianna Fáil
Noel Rock, Fine Gael
Robert Troy, Fianna Fáil
Mark Daly, Fianna Fáil
Frank Feighan, Fine Gael
Padraig Ó Céidigh, Independent

The hearings will be streamed live on Oireachtas TV and online. This was not a broadcast deal that earned millions in revenue but it might be just as explosive as any qualifier for the Euro 2020 Championships.

Pressure has been mounting on Delaney in the past 24 hours with former Managers Brian Kerr and Eoin Hand; former CEO Fran Rooney and media pundit Niall Quinn all weighing in with their views on the situation.

Delaney has been here before though and has ridden out a variety of storms.

He will be particularly careful when answering questions from TD’s Noel Rock and Catherine Murphy who have been vocal in their criticism.

The Republic of Ireland get the home campaign to qualify for the Euro 2020 Finals and the four games being staged at the Aviva Stadium tonight at home to Georgia.