Delaney advises Euro caution
Uefa last week confirmed the breakdown of nations for the February 23 qualifying draw in Nice, placing Martin O’Neill’s charges in Pot Two alongside Ukraine, Croatia, Sweden, Denmark, Switzerland, Belgium, Czech Republic and Hungary.
Avoiding some of those nations during Ireland’s quest to feature at the expanded 24-team showpiece heartens Delaney, yet he was swift to apply a rider on the optimism it imbues.
“We got a bit of positive news that we’re a second seed,” said Delaney, speaking yesterday at the official opening of the multi-sport all-weather pitches at the National Sports Campus in Abbotstown.
“It gives you a potential positive angle, although you don’t know until the teams are drawn out. Some of the third seeds — Turkey and other countries like that — are in there, so there are some (sides) to be avoided and some you’d like to get.”
Like his newly-appointed senior team management team of O’Neill and Roy Keane, Delaney is enduring difficulty at charting the couple of years ahead until the team’s destiny is revealed in the picturesque coastal city nestled in the south of France.
“I’m looking forward to the Serbia friendly (in March) and even more so to the European draw on February 23. I know Martin (O’Neill) is in particular, because it sets out the next year and a half of our lives and hopefully gives us the answers to getting to France in 2016. That’s the main objective — qualifying for the Euros.
“Martin is first class — he’s been great. He’s taking an office in Abbotstown and he’s over (to Ireland) on a regular basis. I know he’s finding it hard not working with the players on a regular basis. That’s why the draw is so important. It means a lot to him and to Irish football because then he knows who we’re playing and what dates we’re playing. He and Roy, of course, are totally committed to getting to France in 2016.”
Ahead of their next assignment, against Serbia on March 5, the new dream managerial team will gaze beyond the immediate qualification task at hand by turning the sod on the FAI’s new Academy project.
Yesterday’s official opening by the Sports Minister Leo Varadkar of the multi-sport all-weather pitches adjacent to the National Aquatic Centre provided a precursor for the bigger development to come designated for football.
Armed with an €888,852 combined grant from Fifa and the Irish Sports Council issued in September 2012, added to by an investment of around €500,000 by the Dublin and District Schoolboys League (DDSL), the FAI’s long overdue vision to create an epicentre for elite talent is to take flight.
“We’ve been based here [the FAI offices] for a number of years and we’re going to start work on our own pitches — six or seven — in the next month or so,” explained Delaney.
“This facility is fantastic. There’ll be high-quality dressing rooms with a high-quality finish. It’s going to be great for the community, schools, local leagues and also elite sport.”
Meanwhile, Airtricity League director Fran Gavin revealed the FAI would consider lobbying the Government on the PFAI’s plea to divert tax on football bets directly into the game.
“We’ve had discussions around it,” Gavin said of the players’ union idea, “we’ll discuss it internally first and then make approaches and lobby.”
Gavin also denied that the cut in prize money, coupled with the high affiliation fees, puts the league’s clubs in a loss situation before they kick a ball each season.
He stressed: “There is no club playing in the league that doesn’t receive more than their affiliation fees. We’re talking about returns for being in the league. It [the affiliation fee] is €17,000 in the Premier Division and €8,000 in the First Division. Most clubs will receive that, through affiliation and being part of the Airtricity League. They have prize money, Uefa solidarity grants and travel grants — so there are other aspects.”
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