FAI meet to discuss Rooney’s position

THE position of embattled chief executive, Fran Rooney, will be discussed at a specially convened FAI board of management meeting in Dublin today.

Last night, the chief executive admitted on RTÉ’s Prime Time that he had yet to read a letter sent to him yesterday by FAI president Milo Corcoran.

But asked if he would step down from his job, Rooney insisted: “I’m a fighter and what I want to do is make sure that the Genesis report is implemented. It’s the key issue here for the fans, for the grassroots and for football.”

The meeting coincides with reports of serious internal divisions within Irish football’s ruling body and increasingly tough questions being asked by the Public Accounts Committee and the Irish Sports Council about delays in the implementation of the Genesis report.

The Irish Sports Council yesterday issued a warning that it would with-hold up to €300,000 in funding to the FAI if it does not receive concrete proposals by next week on the implementation of the Genesis report.

Following the debacle in Saipan, Genesis was supposed to herald a root-and-branch reorganisation of the FAI but delays in acting on some of its recommendations have exhausted the patience of the Government.

In particular, the failure to appoint an independent financial officer, and three other directors, has led to angry correspondence to Merrion Square from Sports Council chief, John Treacy.

Last night, Mr Rooney said he had met “resistance” from the board of the FAI to his determination to have the positions filled.

Earlier this month, the Irish Sports Council authorised Mr Treacy to withhold the €300,000 if he was not satisfied that urgent and meaningful progress was being made on filling the director posts.

He has warned that the FAI will face a “financial famine” unless they act quickly to appoint the new money man from outside the organisation.

Meanwhile, an on-going power battle within the FAI has seen support for Mr Rooney’s position as chief executive weaken, as some key figures in Merrion Square, who originally backed his appointment, are believed to have lost faith in the former Baltimore Technologies chief.