Result of FAI World Cup inquiry known soon
The decision to institute an inquiry was taken within days of Ireland’s last match in the World Cup when they lost to Spain in a penalty shoot-out on June 16. And many FAI officials are angry that the inquiry has not yet begun. The publication of Roy Keane’s autobiography over the weekend has added to that sense of anger. They argue that whatever the findings of the inquiry, there will inevitably be a belief amongst the public that they were framed by Keane’s accusations and criticisms.
In a sense that was always going to be the case. Had Keane not gone public with his criticisms of the arrangements for training at the team’s initial base camp in Saipan and announced he was going home two weeks before the World Cup, there never would have been talk of an inquiry. Events moved on from there rapidly, of course, and the decision of manager Mick McCarthy to send Keane home a week before the start of the World Cup precipitated a train of events that will rumble on for some time yet. Certainly, Keane is not prepared to let the matter rest even if he had said the World Cup would likely mark the end of his international career long before there were signs of dispute within the camp.
Now he is quoted as suggesting he would play in the World Cup of 2006 provided McCarthy was not still the manager.
But that is by the way. This column is to bring you up to date on what the FAI are doing about learning from the experiences of Saipan and the World Cup of 2002, learning how other national associations and other teams do things.
It is a criticism of the FAI to point out that all that has been done so far is to appoint a chairman to conduct the inquiry. Maurice O’Connell, retired former governor of the Central Bank, has accepted that appointment.
He will be assisted in his inquiries by an international sports agency, probably a very professional organisation based in England. But that agency has yet to be identified and yet to be appointed. There is no blame attached to Mr O’Connell for this delay. He will now press ahead with drawing up an agenda for the inquiry and with presenting his demands to the officers of the international agency. These demands are likely to extend beyond these shores with a view to examining how other national associations go about planning for World Cup finals.
Ideally, the FAI will want to know how Italy and France and Spain plan their World Cup and European Championship campaigns and what their priorities and requirements in general are when they travel to play in championship finals. They will want to know what length of time is considered ideal for a squad of 23 players and an assorted team of back-up staff to spend together prior to competition; how intense or how relaxed their preparation should be; what professional staff they need to provide medical and physical training back-up etc etc.
The FAI are particularly anxious to ensure that Mr O’Connell and the professionals he decides to enlist to assist him are seen to be at arms-length from existing football clubs and organisations in Ireland and England.
They want the findings of this inquiry to be seen to be totally independent and transparent. Which is why many of the FAI officials are furious that little in the way of concrete progress has been made to-date. On the eve of the kick-off of a fresh European Championship campaign it does not reflect well on the FAI that they are still enmeshed in the World Cup controversy.
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