Stadium shambles leaves Irish soccer high and dry

Fine Gael's spokesman on sport, Jimmy Deenihan, has weighed in tonight on the surprising decision of the Government to pull out of the Abbottstown project.

He says the Taoiseach's decision to finally see reason in scrapping the national stadium has left Irish soccer high and dry and his stadium shambles has squandered millions of euro in one of the greatest U-turns ever seen in Irish politics,

"Bertie Ahern's shameful interference in the FAI's original plans to build Eircom Park has effectively denied Irish soccer any chances of having a home of its own, while the IRFU also put its plans on hold.

"The Government has squandered millions of euro of taxpayers' money on feasibility studies and consultants reports for a stadium that nobody but Bertie Ahern ever wanted to build."