The cat escapes the sack

In a jailbreak to rival the acquisition of those three World Cup points in Kazakhstan, Giovanni Trapattoni was last night reaffirmed as manager of the Republic of Ireland by the FAI, ending days of feverish speculation about his position.

The 73-year-old, who is at his home in Milan, was notified of the outcome of the board meeting soon after it ended last night.

In the wake of the 6-1 mauling by Germany in Dublin on Friday, reports citing authoritative sources in the association had strongly indicated that, regardless of the result of Tuesday night’s game against the Faroe Islands, the veteran Italian would be given his marching orders by the end of this week.

Instead, in a quite sensational twist, the FAI Board of Management, meeting at the association’s headquarters in Abbotstown, unanimously agreed to back the manager in his current position, although the sober and almost subdued wording of the statement hardly equated to what one might call a ringing endorsement.

It’s understood the public show of support from senior players for the manager over the last few days had a significant bearing on the decision, as did the convincing 4-1 scoreline with which the squad returned from the Faroes, keeping them in contention in World Cup qualifying Group C.

And it’s understood that, among the FAI board, there was also a note of realism about what can legitimately be achieved by any manager of Ireland, but especially one who, at the end of his second term, fulfilled his main brief by guiding the team through to the European Championship finals having previously only failed at the final hurdle — and in controversial circumstances in Paris — to get them to the finals of the World Cup.

But the vote to back the manager must also be seen against the backdrop of the financial indebtedness of the FAI, to which — in the event of Trapattoni being sacked — would have been added the unrealistic burden of a pay-off for the manager and his back room team running into millions of euro, and that before the association could even begin to contemplate the cost of hiring a replacement.

With the ball now back in Trapattoni’s court, it will be interesting to see how he settles after the events of the last few days and, in particular, the perception that he was put in an unnecessarily awkward position by having to field questions about his supposedly imminent departure on the eve of a World Cup qualifying match, while at the same time the FAI steadfastly maintained an official silence in response to repeated requests from the media in Torshavn for clarification.

Before he flew back from the Faroes, Trapattoni had indicated that he fully intended to continue in football in the event of his getting boot in Ireland.

“Sure, with another team in another country,” he declared. When asked if there were offers he was aware of out there, he replied with a cryptic smile: “In another week, I can say to you.”

A lot can happen in a week in football, it’s true — or even in one day, as yesterday’s events confirmed — and given Ireland’s next competitive games are not until March, there is still plenty of scope for further twists and turns in Trapattoni’s reign as Ireland manager over the coming weeks and months.

What was clear before last night’s FAI meeting was that Trapattoni was bemused by the very idea that there could even have been the possibility of a move against him at this early stage in a new qualifying campaign. He even suggested to journalists before leaving the Faroes that being shown the door after the European Championships might have made more sense than getting his marching orders now when, a mere three games into the new campaign, Ireland remain in qualifying contention for World Cup 2014. And, dipping into his own decorated past to find an exception to the rule, he was implicitly critical of footballing officialdom in general.

“I was in four countries at important clubs,” he said. “I know every president and every chief executive. I know. I met only one very important president because he knew football very well (former Juventus striker and later club president Giampiero Boniperti). He was the best striker many years ago. He wouldn’t make judgments depending on whether you win or lose. He would take a decision and stick to his decision.

“But the president is the president. He has responsibility. He decides what happens or doesn’t happen. Sometime (he thinks) it’s better to change the manager because there is a problem with the team. It’s easier to change the manager rather than 10 players. In my life, this has never been the case. I am the one who decided to go and change clubs.”

Nor had he any intention of resigning — or being provoked into a resignation.

“Maybe they think I go but I said in Tuesday’s press conference that no, I will not go, because we’re starting a new job. We started a new campaign and we lost against Germany, not against Kazakhstan or the Faroes. Sweden found it difficult to play there.”

Appearing upbeat and unruffled after Tuesday night’s win, Trapattoni seemed to be able to ride serenely above the media firestorm — but then, it’s a phenomenon with which he has become only too well acquainted in his many years in top flight football.

“These are rumours,” he said. “And the rumours in Italy are bad and even worse because the newspapers compete against each other. I’m used to this. If it was the players against me, then I would be upset, or if my behaviour with them was not professional. It’s not only diplomacy when you ask the players: ‘What do you think about Trapattoni?’ It’s not that they answer out of diplomacy. When you are a manager, you have this sensibility, a feeling of whether the answer (from the players) is no or yes.”

He was not “particularly anxious or upset”, he added. “Absolutely not. I continue to do my job with the same attitude and the same attention. The players are growing. I will keep doing my job and I think it’s honourable that I have this quality.”

And, after last night’s FAI decision, he has the official backing to continue doing that job too.