Oireachtas chairman Alan Kelly questions future state funding to FAI

Sports committee chairman Alan Kelly believes funding to the FAI should be reviewed following what he branded a farcical public appearance before politicians.

Sports committee chairman Alan Kelly believes funding to the FAI should be reviewed following what he branded a farcical public appearance before politicians.

The association has seen its annual State core funding doubled to €5.8m since the Government pumped in €20m to stave off the threat of examinership in early 2020.

League of Ireland clubs are awaiting word in the October 7 Budget of vital grants for academy investment but Labour TD Kelly cited the lack of transparency as reason to question trust levels within the FAI.

Wednesday’s 160-minute session at the Oireachtas joint committee only proceeded after Sports Minister Patrick O’Donovan intervened on Monday to criticise the FAI’s withdrawal from the sitting with just five days’ notice.

The fact that two FAI witnesses – former Ireland women’s manager Eileen Gleeson and media officer Gareth Maher – were prevented from attending by their employers further enraged the cross-party committee.

Safeguarding was the topic for discussion, revolving around an exposé by RTÉ and the Sunday Independent in July 2024 regarding historical abuse of female players involved in the Ireland team and national training courses in the early 1990s.

Leaked emails to emerge earlier this year illustrated the FAI had knowledge of the issue dating back to May 2023 but two senior officials copied in the chain, chief executive David Courell and HR director Aoife Rafferty, refused to discuss the timeline.

“The committee members aren't satisfied by the performance of those who were in front of us,” Kelly said of the FAI stonewalling.

“Ultimately, I think the FAI have serious questions to answer about what happened pre-2024 and what they did or didn't do. We still don't have transparency on the issue yet.

“It's not every day that somebody in opposition like me, working with all the members of the committee, is hand in glove with a Fine Gael minister.

“But, in fairness to Patrick O'Donovan, he answered the questions relating to the FAI not coming before this committee directly and forcefully.

“If they hadn’t, our committee would have made recommendations to the minister.

“I think it’s glaringly obvious that once his statement was made publicly, the FAI knew they had no choice but to come in front of us.”

He added: "We will be writing to the minister on the basis of what we heard and didn’t hear.

“I'm sure if the Minister feels the same way as the Committee, he'll have to take into consideration maybe profiling funding or withdrawing it. That’s really a matter for him.”