Ahern to get tough with FAI on Sky deal
In a surprise move, the Taoiseach last night summoned FAI chiefs for a meeting with him today to discuss the fallout from the soccer authority’s controversial deal with Sky Television.
The deal, which came as a total surprise to the Government when announced a week ago, is set to net the FAI 7.5m over four years for exclusive TV rights to home games. FAI bosses said the RTÉ offer was way behind this and the money would be used to develop the game.
But it has provoked unparalleled anger among the legion of fans who were looking forward to watching their heroes compete in the qualifying games of the European Championships.
In the political fallout, the team’s best known fan, Mr Ahern, was accused of failure to ensure that an EU law which could have prevented such a deal was not properly invoked in Irish law. The Irish authorities did not produce a so-called heritage list of national sporting events that must be screened on free-to-view television.
Sports Minister John O’Donoghue met with the FAI officials earlier this week, and he is understood to have told them in explicit terms of the Government’s anger and embarrassment. On Wednesday, the Government tasked newly-appointed Attorney General Rory Brady with examining the 1997 EU law and the 1999 Irish legislation which gave it force here. The original Government read on that situation was that it would not be possible to designate an entire competition to the preserved list. It was also understood that no action could be taken to retrospectively interfere with the FAI-Sky deal. But yesterday, senior EU official Christophe Forax insisted there was nothing to stop the Government obliging the FAI to sell the games to RTÉ or TV3 for a fair market price.
Last night, there was a strong suggestion at Leinster House that this view of the legal position was being given serious consideration. However, it was equally clear that the FAI view their deal with Sky as rock-solid. Much will depend on how today’s meeting goes, but talks around some kind of compromise are one possible outcome.
An FAI spokesman last night confirmed that they received the Taoiseach’s summons and would be attending at Government Buildings. “All I can say at this stage is that we are meeting with Mr Ahern and we will naturally listen attentively to what he has to say,” the spokesman said.
A Government spokesperson said the meeting was scheduled for 12.30pm.
