FAI vote reveals deep splits

Continued infighting within Irish football appears inevitable after the FAI narrowly succeeded yesterday in having their first-ever rule on restricting the movement of players passed at an emergency general meeting in Dublin.

The FAI proposed the imposition of an 80km limit on the distance that players, aged 16 and under, can travel from their usual place of residence to sign for a club.

The topic has become a major bone of contention for regional leagues frustrated at losing the best talent to the established nursery clubs in Dublin. After intense debate at the summit staged yesterday in the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Blanchardstown, the motion was carried in a vote by a 65-20 majority.