Furious FAI insist Ahern honours his cash pledge

FURIOUS soccer chiefs told the Taoiseach to live up to his promise of delivering a National Stadium following the Government’s decision not to spend taxpayers’ money on the project.

The Football Association of Ireland also clashed with Finance Minister Charlie McCreevy over grants pledged to the organisation, warning that commitments made cannot be broken. FAI president Milo Corcoran said the stadium decision would have serious consequences for the future of football. “The absence of exchequer funding for Stadium Ireland is an absolutely major blow for football in this country,” he said.

Also yesterday, the Olympic Council of Ireland joined in the criticism of the Government climbdown, saying that Ireland’s record of providing sports facilities was worse than many Third World countries.