The FAI were chasing an equaliser, but have fallen further behind

The FAI were back before the Public Accounts Committee yesterday and didn't do much to regain trust.

PUBIC ACCOUNTS COMMITTEE: FAI Independent Director Catherine Guy and FAI Chief Executive Officer Jonathan Hill. Pic ©INPHO/Morgan Treacy

In football parlance, the FAI were trying to cancel out a deficit from the first leg, but ended up trailing further behind. 

The association was already in arrears heading from their last visit to their governmental paymasters, departing Leinster House before Christmas having been scolded for providing a “cock and bull story”.

Well, that was Alan Dillon’s putdown to Jonathan Hill.

They were back before the Public Accounts Committee yesterday. Oireachtas committee rooms have not been happy hunting grounds for FAI chief executives. Nobody will forget John Delaney’s stonewalling to politicians in April 2019. 

But this new-look association came with a promise of leaving dark eras behind. So when Delaney's successor rocked up yesterday morning, having not only flouted the deadline set for submission of his opening statement, but was at the centre of emails covered in black blotches from redaction excuses, stereotypes around familiar FAI failings were unavoidable.

“It was an insult to the public, never mind the committee,” blasted Brian Stanley, Chairman of the PAC, afterwards.

During the three-and-a-half hours there was no getting away from TDs' annoyance at the delay, the redactions, as well as the economical approach Hill adopted in addressing questions.

There were two main takeaways from the day's sitting: Hill’s part in the pay-for-untaken holidays scandal and an apparent breach of covid-19 grant aid - both of which damage the reputation of the FAI in the eyes of their key stakeholders.

One of those stakeholders is the very group they faced, public representatives, as not alone did they bail out the FAI in early 2020 but have increased state funding since.

So how is the FAI now placed to be trusted with the half billion it wants to distribute to fulfil an infrastructural masterplan over the next 15 years?

“Seeking €517m from the public purse is a significant amount of money,” added Stanley.

“Because of recent enough history, it’s fair to say that the FAI’s reputation would not be wonderful or pristine. I think that there is a particular onus on the Department and Sport Ireland and Sport Ireland to ensure there is proper accountability, governance and full transparency.” 

Firstly, Hill’s update on his involvement in the holidays scandal served only to anger his questioners.

Whereas he informed the Sport and Media Committee on his last visit on December 13 that he “wasn’t asking for it (nor) pushing it”, that story changed somewhat on the morning of the sequel.

Belatedly, he stated yesterday: “I made a suggestion in relation to my own unused holidays.” 

Interrogated by the first speaker, Paul McAuliffe TD, Hill tried to elaborate by claiming he made a “throwaway” remark to then finance director Alex O’Connell.

They had been dealing with a junior employee who was granted the same deviation from normal practice when Hill wrote in one of the (redacted) emails: "Can you negotiate the same for me please!"

Keen to stress that his comment was accompanied by an exclamation mark, Hill insisted this was not a “formal” request but Mr O’Connell interpreted it as a request.

However, Hill didn’t correct that assertion. Included in an email dated December 19, O’Connell writes: “I think we’re trying to pay the holidays (as per your request)”, to which Hill replies within a minute: “Perfect.”

While the amount is relatively small in the context of Hill's overall earnings, its status as a double standard compared to the rank-and-file FAI workers working at ground level had his inquisitors fuming.

“It’s an extraordinary situation to put a colleague in that situation coming into a committee,” said McAuliffe.

That O’Connell wasn’t there to clarify the situation or defend his name was another thorny topic.

Within the trail of emails – one with the subject ‘My Annual Leave Days ” – both O'Connell and HR director Aoife Rafferty can be seen to have raised red flags.

Each was invited by PAC but didn’t appear, as the new FAI Chairman Tony Keohane felt it better to assign directors Catherine Guy and Liz Joyce to deal with the barrage of scrutiny.

“We would expect organisations in receipt of funding from the public purse to make witnesses available,” Stanley said.

“If you are missing people, part of the story can be missing too. You can see from the emails we could read deficiencies in terms of financial controls and oversight. It’s a pity from their point of view that they weren’t here because they have a story to tell.” 

Where the story goes now will be observed with intrigue. Apparently, a chasm grew within the expanded FAI board of 14 on the eve of the sitting as some pieces of the puzzle around Hill were gradually provided.

The fact Keohane got around to expressing confidence in Hill but President Paul Cooke didn’t at the fourth time of asking spoke volumes.

“My confidence in Jonathan has been challenged by these events,” said Cooke, a chartered accountant renowned for his straight talking.

Today, with the FAI back where they didn’t want to be – the front pages – football folk on their 140-string General Assembly will have to consider who’s culpable for this mess being foisted upon the game.

Politicians are struggling for trust too, having discovering through the probe by James O’Connor TD that a sum of just under €1m from the €33.7m of covid-19 resilience funding was used to make capital debt repayments.

A condition of the allocation was that “pre-existing deficits or debts are not covered.” 

Damage limitation was the FAI’s objective out of this hearing but the extent of that has yet to be quantified.