FAI ring changes as 3 new sponsor

THE FAI will unveil a new sponsorship deal with 3 mobile today in the wake of the news that eircom have ended their 11-year long association with Irish football.

Last season, the company withdrew as sponsors of the League of Ireland, in which capacity they have been replaced by Airtricity, and yesterday eircom announced an end to their flagship sponsorship of the senior international side.

In a statement, the company said: “Over the course of the last decade, eircom has invested some €20m in supporting the national teams, the League of Ireland and other soccer programmes. The recent friendly between Ireland and Algeria marked eircom’s 100th international cap as sponsor of the senior team. This announcement is being made to clarify eircom’s position and leave the FAI free to pursue other sponsorship options in advance of the next qualification campaign for the 2012 European Championship which begins in the autumn.”

Eircom chief executive Paul Donovan said: “As eircom continues its own transformation programme, it is appropriate that the company closes this current chapter of its sponsorship activities and moves in a different direction. We wish Irish soccer every success for the future and particularly in the 2012 European Championship qualifiers.”

FAI chief executive John Delaney commented: “eircom have been loyal and good partners to Irish football over the last decade and we thank them for their support. As the company turns a new page in its development, we wish them well for the future.”