Sports council may withhold €300,000 from FAI

THE Irish Sports Council will withhold funding from the FAI next year if a €300,000 grant is not put to the use it was originally intended for.

Addressing the Oireachtas Public Accounts Committee yesterday, Sports Council chief executive John Treacy said he was far from happy with the manner in which the FAI had dealt with the €300,000 - money which was specifically earmarked to pay for four new FAI positions as recommended by the 2002 Genesis report.

But Mr Treacy said that instead of advertising the new positions, the FAI initially chose to controversially delegate the responsibilities to existing staff.