Ahern: 'Govt will not compensate FAI'

Communications Minister Dermot Ahern has said that the Government has no plans to compensate the Football Association of Ireland following Sky Television's decision to pull out of a lucrative contract with the association.

Sky had offered to pay €7.5m to the FAI for exclusive television rights to all Irish internationals, but the Government undermined the deal by including competitive games in its official list of "free-to-air" events under the EU's Television Without Frontiers directive.

"There have been discussions already in relation to avenues that we might be able to help in the years to come," Mr Ahern said today, "but as regards direct compensation, in these days of difficulties in the Exchequer, we will not be compensating them."