RTÉ sorry for Trap report

RTÉ has been forced to apologise to FAI chief John Delaney for the content and tone of a sports segment on radio yesterday.

Association chiefs made immediate contact with Montrose after RTÉ’s soccer correspondent linked Mr Delaney with newspaper reports indicating Giovanni Trapattoni would be sacked this week as Irish manager.

RTÉ said: “On our Morning Ireland sports bulletin we featured a piece in which we stated that it was generally believed mixed messages had been given to the media about the future of the senior manager’s position and that the chief executive of the FAI, John Delaney, was the senior FAI source responsible for these rumours.

“RTÉ and Tony O’Donoghue would like to unreservedly apologise to John Delaney for these statements which were untrue. We would also like to apologise for the general tone of that particular exchange.”