Senior FAI official expected to step down today

THE most important part of the Genesis report to be put into the public domain later today will be the recommendations of the investigating team.

The primary task for the FAI is not to dwell on the criticism that will inevitably form part of the report or to conduct a witch-hunt in search of a scapegoat or two.

Mistakes were made and they have been well documented. My information is that at least one high-ranking officer of the FAI will, as a result, today tender his resignation.

Whether this decision was inspired by the findings of the Genesis team who conducted an enquiry into the World Cup planning and performance remains to be seen.

There is little to be gained from raking over old coals other than using the exercise to learn from what is exposed and taking steps to ensure there is never a recurrence.

The knee-jerk reaction to any crisis is to suggest that heads must roll but that does not necessarily ensure the same mistakes will not be made again.

At least the person responsible for the error is unlikely to repeat it a new incumbent will not necessarily improve matters if he is faced with a similar problem.

The National League faced a crisis last season because of perceived irregularities with some players' registrations. The furore that revolved around this issue led, in time, to the departure of the League Commissioner.

The irony of the situation was that this particular individual was probably much better equipped to handle the league's business after the problem was settled than he was when appointed to the post 12 months before.

The Irish solution to most problems is to fire the people involved and start afresh. This is why we have a proliferation of football teams in this country and not enough clubs.

This is why Ireland could play in the European finals in 1988, the World Cup finals of 1990 and 1994 and still be lacking experience of what it takes when they returned to that level in 2002. There is a lack of continuity.

This is why they went to the Far East with only one press officer, for example. They were encouraged by this writer to address this issue at least three months before the World Cup but they chose to go with just one. He was expected to provide a service for up to 60 media representatives.

What will be interesting are the results of Genesis' examination of the operations mounted by other national associations and the comparisons made with the work of the FAI should make for interesting reading.

What will inevitably be highlighted is that every other association spent significantly bigger sums of money on their preparations and engaged more professional help in virtually all areas.

This is where the report should be a help in influencing future planning rather than dwelling on why the training gear and the World Cup footballs were 24 hours late arriving.

Of course that should not have happened but it was only as serious as you chose to make it. You can, of course, argue that the delay reflected low standards on the part of the FAI, but it would probably be more accurate to suggest it resulted from human error.

Was it so serious that the training gear was a day late? You make your own mind up, but my information was that on arrival each squad member was in possession of three pairs of casual shorts, eight T-shirts, six pairs of short socks, eight polo shirts, two casual shirts, a cap to protect from the sun, an extra boot bag and a suit carrier.

More serious was the absence of some physiotherapy equipment, the isotonic drinks, and the condition of the training pitch. The goalkeepers were diving about on the pitch every day so it cannot have been that bad, but obviously the FAI has much to improve upon in the future.

Just as assuredly they have much work to do to find the right man to replace Mick McCarthy as manager of the team.

They have not begun to wrestle with this issue yet for they will not agree on a process until after the press briefing on the Genesis report. It is certain they will seek to recruit a couple of experienced people still actively involved in football to help them identify the right individual.

A couple of prominent managers/coaches have already signalled their interest. Terry Venables, the Leeds United manager and former England manager, is one, Kenny Dalglish another, and also Bryan Robson.