Robbie Keane's €250k FAI salary 'is not taxpayers' money'

Then Republic of Ireland assistant coach Robbie Keane pictured in 2019. File picture: Seb Daly/Sportsfile

Sources close to the Football Association of Ireland (FAI) have said no part of Robbie Keane's €250,000 salary is taxpayer-funded, after a Government senator called for him to donate his salary to grassroots football as clubs were said to "desperately need increased funding".

Ireland’s greatest ever goalscorer with 68 international goals — which puts him in the elite of world football — Tallaght native Robbie Keane was appointed assistant manager to then-manager Mick McCarthy in 2018.

However, Stephen Kenny chose to bring in his own backroom staff when he took over the main role in April 2020, as is usual in the world of football.

Robbie Keane was effectively sidelined, with no other role being assigned to him in the period since. His reported €250,000 salary is still being paid however, and his contract is set to expire this summer.

Fine Gael spokesperson for sport in the Seanad, Micheál Carrigy, has now claimed that the former Tottenham and LA Galaxy great should “refund” his salary.

Mr Carrigy incorrectly suggested the salary was taxpayer-funded, with FAI sources saying that no part of his contract is paid for by Government funding of the organisation.

When the Irish Examiner asked the FAI if an international goalscorer ranked in the top 20 globally of all-time could be given a role elsewhere in the organisation, it declined to comment.

It is understood that commentary around Robbie Keane's salary in recent weeks has led to an agreement between the former player and the FAI for each party not to comment publicly. However, sources were adamant the post is not taxpayer-funded.

Robbie Keane’s 68 international goals puts him on par with the late German legend Gerd Muller, and far ahead of luminaries of international football such as Argentinean great Gabriel Batistuta and England’s record scorer Wayne Rooney, with 54 and 53 goals for their countries respectively.

His glittering career for Ireland began in March 1998 against the Czech Republic, finishing in August 2016 with a goal against Oman. He won 146 caps overall, considered a huge achievement in world football, and is currently 45th on the all-time caps list globally.

Mr Carrigy, a senator since 2020 having been a local councillor since 2009, said Mr Keane had been paid over half a million euro since 2020, but that he had not answered questions  “ regarding what he has actually done during the period to earn this salary.

He said he believed Mr Keane should refund the money to the FAI.