Thomas Byrne defends State’s commitment to football

DEFENCE: New Junior Sports Minister Thomas Byrne. Pic: Colin Keegan, Collins Dublin

New Junior Sports Minister Thomas Byrne admits the Government must “step up to the plate’ to fund football but was swift to remind the FAI of the State bailout.

His defence of the exchequer spend was in response to a tirade on Friday by outgoing Chairman Roy Barrett highlighting inequality of grant aid between GAA and football.