Courell confident of extra Euro 2028 fixture as he defends Bonner's role

FAI chief reveals UEFA are likely to hand Ireland a seventh fixture as co-hosts of continental championships

NO QUALMS: FAI Board Member Packie Bonner. Pic: Stephen McCarthy/Sportsfile

The FAI are “very confident” of adding a seventh game to their hosting roster of the Euro 2028 finals.

Ten venues across the UK and Ireland were proposed to stage the games but UEFA's decision to strip Casement Park in Belfast of matches due to delays subsequently freed up excess fixtures to be absorbed.

It was confirmed late last year that alternative venues in Ireland such as Croke Park or SuperValu Páirc Uí Chaoimh were off the table but Dublin’s Aviva Stadium is in line to be granted an extra game.

Lansdowne Road was also assigned four group games and two knockout games, including a quarter-final match.

Now an extra group match for a tournament which Ireland seem to be assured of participation in, either by qualifying or on a hosting ticket, is on the way.

“I am very confident we will secure an additional game in Dublin,” said FAI chief executive David Courell. “I think it’s an additional group game, still subject to final approval from UEFA, but I’m very confident”.

Meanwhile, Courell has defended the contribution made by Packie Bonner, the legendary Ireland goalkeeper part of the FAI board since 2021.

Bonner was invited onto the top table as an independent director, chairing the international and high performance committee. Within that role, he’s been involved in the recruitment selection of men’s and women’s managers but Courell denied him being based in Scotland was a problem.

A recent media report contended there was unease with the domestic game about the degree of influence Bonner wielded.

This is despite the fact that the FAI’s General Assembly, of which the League of Ireland comprises almost one third, ratified Bonner’s reappointment to the board last September by a resounding 79-4 majority. Neither has there been any formal feedback of dissatisfaction from the LOI committees.

“It doesn’t concern me,” said Courell about former FAI technical director Bonner’s living in Glasgow. “If you look at our board, we’ve 14 board members. There’s a really good balance, a mix of skills and background and experience.

“We value Packie’s contributions to the board. He has a connection to the association to Irish football, he’s worked in Abbotstown and is still active in Uefa circles.

“Valuable contributions are something we should be welcoming to the board table. They are part of a mix of skills and opinions and viewpoints that are factored in before we reach any decision 

 “Packie and Marc (Canham) in particular were ones that were asking more technical questions to managers around football. It’s not entirely accurate to say that Packie was the only person asking football questions.” 

Asked if Bonner will have an involvement in sourcing Canham’s replacement after he departs his chief football officer role in the summer, the CEO said: “Potentially but potentially not.

“The reality is we’ve had other board members involved in other recruitment processes.”