James McClean backs Girls in Green

James McClean has become the first of the current men’s international team to go public with his backing for the senior women’s side in their dispute with the FAI.

In a Facebook post, the West Brom man said: “I think personally this treatment is wrong…(they are) not outrageous demands…it’s (the) standard and bare minimum of what should be included anyway at international level. Playing for your country is the pinnacle in football terms, you shouldn’t be made to feel like this…”

Mediated talks between the Irish Senior Women’s squad, their representatives and the FAI were continuing late into last night in a bid to resolve the dispute over pay and working conditions and avert a boycott of next Monday’s friendly against Slovakia.

At an explosive press conference in Dublin on Tuesday, the players aired a number of long-running grievances about their treatment by the FAI and made it clear that they considered all options —including strike action — were on the table.

The players had a range of issues which they wanted to see addressed by the FAI — from the provision of training gear before they meet up at airports to more home-based training sessions — but their key demands were for coverage of loss of earnings for non-professional squad members and the payment of match fees of €300 as well as win, draw and qualification bonuses.

Reacting to one of the most shocking revelations at Tuesday’ press conference — that because the women have to share their tracksuits with underage teams, they are forced to change in airport toilets before and after travelling on away trips — Sport Minister Patrick O’Donovan said yesterday: “It’s not good, it’s 2017 and that’s not good. Everybody’s reaction to this when it came out in the media over the last 24/48 hours was the same; it’s not good. We want it fixed and we want a process put in place.”

The junior minister revealed that, yesterday morning, he had made contact with the FAI and had also asked Sport Ireland to contact the association, “to encourage as much as possible the facilitation of mediation”.

He said: “Our office don’t tell national governing bodies of sports what to do and what not to do but I think I’ve made it as clear as possible on behalf of the department. We want this issue sorted, we want the focus to be back on the field and we want the basic issues which seemed to have been put out into the public arena addressed.”

Asked to comment on the contrast between John Delaney’s generous salary as FAI CEO and the plight of the players sharing tracksuits and seeking recompense for lost earnings, Mr O’Donovan replied that he didn’t want to “personalise anything.”

He said: “It’s in everyone’s interests now that we get to a situation where the focus here is on player welfare, the basic levels of accommodation needed to make sure we have people who are focused on one result and one result only —which is to maximise their capability to play for Ireland next Monday. I want to wish them the best of luck with that and I hope we see them back on the training field as soon as possible.

Speaking in Helsinki, after he had been elected to Uefa’s executive committee, Delaney told RTÉ: “As you know, I’ve been away the last number of days but as I understand it, mediation has been agreed (and) it wouldn’t be proper for me to comment now. But I just hope all matters get resolved.”

In what had been interpreted as an “encouraging” move by the players, the FAI had written yesterday morning to invite them and, crucially, “their representatives”, to take part in mediated discussions.

The players’ had insisted on the PFAI representing them in any talks with the governing body but, until this invitation, the FAI had refused to engage with the Irish footballers’ union in relation to the dispute.

Last night, the talks, mediated by former trade union leader Peter McLoone, went ahead with the PFAI present.

However, pending the outcome of those negotiations, the team decided not to take part in a scheduled training session yesterday which was meant to mark the beginning of their build-up to the Slovakia game.

PFAI player executive, Ollie Cahill, said: “The players have not taken this decision lightly. The players wish to make clear that they simply want the FAI to respect their right to choose their own representatives and have all the outstanding issues which are affecting their ability to achieve their maximum potential for their country resolved in a swift, amicable and professional manner.”

Meanwhile, at a meeting in private session of the Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport, it was agreed that John Delaney and top FAI officials would be called before the committee next Wednesday, if the issues involving the international women’s team were not resolved. An invitation would also be extended to the PFAI and the players if they wished to take it up.

Solidarity TD Mick Barry said: “I think the vast majority of people would agree with me that the FAI’s treatment of the team is nothing short of a disgrace. It shows an utter lack of respect for the players and helps to drive gender-based inequality in sport.

“What message does this send down to young women and girls playing at grassroots level if those at the top of the profession are treated in such a way?

“The FAI receives millions of Euro in funding from public money.

“This is to help develop soccer in the country at all levels from the grassroots up which is correct and we have no desire to see this end, but with that it should be expected that players at all levels, both male and female, are treated with dignity and that the FAI promotes equality in sport.”