FAI board were in the dark over Damien Duff's 'videogate' fury 

WALKING AWAY: Just two months out from the start of the World Cup qualifying campaign, Damien Duff informed Kenny over Christmas of his desire to cut ties with the FAI. Picture: Stephen McCarthy/Sportsfile

There was confusion, disappointment, and upset among members of the FAI board as they learned about the reasons behind Damien Duff’s departure from the Republic of Ireland coaching staff over the weekend.

The  revealed on Saturday how Duff, the third in command as part of Stephen Kenny’s regime, felt so annoyed by the way in which an investigation was instigated into a motivational video shown before last November’s friendly with England, that he eventually decided he no longer wanted to be associated with the FAI.

Sources have informed the Examiner that the board only became aware of the level of anger Duff felt regarding the “Videogate” investigation once it became apparent that he was definitely leaving.

And FAI sources have now expressed dismay at the fallout from how the initial inquiries from the English Daily Mail, who first reported the video as being “anti-English propaganda”, were dealt with, insisting there should never have been an investigation into the video in the first place.

Roy Barrett, chairperson of the FAI, admitted earlier this month that the reaction to the video, which depicted moments of historical Irish significance, such as the 1916 Rising and Great Famine, as well as goals scored by Irish players, was overblown.

Despite Duff getting much of his anger off his chest during a fraught one-on-one meeting with former interim chief executive Gary Owens (then a consultant to the newly-appointed CEO Jonathan Hill) as part of said investigation in November, this was not relayed to the board as an issue that needed attention.

Duff was prepared to resign at the time if any action was taken against Kenny for using the video, and there are conflicting feelings about the failure to highlight the matter with the board.

There are some who feel it would have helped to know how angry Duff was, with the view they might possibly have been able to attempt some sort of resolution, while others believe that he simply “wasn’t comfortable being part of the Association” and his mind was made up regardless.

Just two months away from the start of the World Cup qualifying campaign, Duff informed Kenny over Christmas of his desire to cut ties with the Association, with his exit finalised late last week after he refused to budge on his stance despite attempts from the Irish boss to coax him back.

And while sources have indicated that there was no falling out between Duff and Kenny, with the latter eventually ruefully accepting his reasons, it leaves him with the headache of searching for a suitable successor.

Duff’s departure, and replacement, will be one of the main items on the agenda when the FAI convene for a board meeting due to take place later in the week.

Among the other items for discussion will be the future of Robbie Keane, who remains on the FAI payroll but will not be recalled to the senior team coaching staff by Kenny.

Hill, who continues to operate from his home in London while in Covid lockdown, is expected to provide an update on where negotiations with Ireland’s record goalscorer and his representatives currently stand.

Board members are also due to discuss another controversy which emerged over the weekend, relating to a report in the Sunday Independent which raised concerns over the FAI spending €80,000 on restructuring the organisation “without a tender or system in place to apply oversight to the process”. The move was given approval by Owens prior to Hill’s appointment.