Fans must buy three tickets to see Brazil

FANS who want to see World Cup holders Brazil play Ireland in a challenge game at Lansdowne Road on February 18 will have to buy tickets in batches of three to cover the three planned Spring friendlies.

Ireland will play the Czech Republic at Lansdowne on a date to be arranged in March and will play a third game against opponents to be finalised in April. This decision was taken at the first meeting of the new management committee. The committee will consist of 10 members, but nine attended yesterday following the resignation over the weekend of the eircom League chairman Brendan Dillon.

FAI officials said that every effort would be made to keep the cost of the tickets reasonable, especially terrace tickets. Spectators will be allowed stand on the terraces because the matches are non-competitive and it is expected terrace tickets for the three matches will be pitched at about €60.

The FAI’s chief executive, Mr Fran Rooney, was quizzed at the meeting on the merger plan he put before the eircom League clubs on Saturday that led to the resignation of Mr Dillon and league’s general manager Mr Tommy Allen. He explained his proposal was a personal construction and it was put to the League delegates as a discussion document. Were the league delegates to agree to a merger then the proposal would be brought before the FAI Council for their approval before it could be implemented.

Later in the day the representatives of the 22 eircom League clubs met to discuss the week-end developments and to decide on a course of action. They voted Mr Declan O’Looney in as acting chairman in place of Mr Dillon until the AGM of the league is held in Dublin on February 7.

They also set up a committee of six members, three representing Premier Division clubs and three from the First Division, and charged the members with the task of teasing out the merger proposals with Mr Rooney and the other FAI officers.