Public Accounts Committee rejects FAI’s request to push out grilling

The Leinster House committee are eager to glean answers from the association around governance and finances.

FAI chief executive Jonathan Hill. Picture: David Fitzgerald/Sportsfile

Attempts by the Football Association of Ireland to postpone Thursday’s Public Accounts Committee (PAC) session have been dismissed.

The Government forum responsible for scrutinising spending of exchequer funding are eager to glean answers from the association around governance and finances.

Of particular interest to the TDs is the handling of chief executive Jonathan Hill’s remuneration.

Sport Ireland last year suspended grant aid arising from the outcome of an audit undertaken by Newry-based accounting firm KOSI on their behalf.

It concluded the FAI had not embedded the condition contained in the 2020 bailout terms restricting the CEO’s package to parity with a senior civil servant.

Breaching what’s known as the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) was additional payments through cash converted from untaken holidays.

This practice is forbidden for FAI staff according to their handbook and the double standard concession to Hill by then chairman Roy Barrett was concealed from all other board members, leading to a couple threatening to resign.

The €12,000 in holiday pay was eventually repaid and €8,500 arrears of Benefit in Kind tax on Hill’s expenses settled but the probe remains.

PAC member Alan Dillon was also at the FAI session before the Oireachtas committee on tourism, media and sport on December 13. There he branded Hill’s explanation as a "cock-and-bull story", insisting email trails must be furnished for the sequel to corroborate the supremo’s version of events.

Barrett’s successor Tony Keohane has led the internal deep dive into all circumstances around this saga.

Monday morning’s meeting of the board was consumed by much discussion around the thorny topic and it was felt they couldn’t comply with the requests for materials by today’s deadline.

Consequently, the former Tesco Ireland MD on Thursday requested by letter a deferral on the basis that sign-off from a legal perspective may not be forthcoming in time.

Given the FAI were aware of the demands for the past nine weeks, it’s believed there was no sympathy in the air by Chairperson Brian Stanley and his committee.

Hence witnesses from the FAI, current and former, as well as Schoolboys/girls FAI (SFAI), Sport Ireland and the Department of Sport, are due to attend Leinster House, as scheduled, to be questioned by the 12 public representatives.