THIS is recently departed FAI chief John Delaney’s new pad — a swanky five-bedroom property he bought for a staggering €868,000 last month.

Situated in a scenic valley roughly 3km outside Aughrim in Co Wicklow, Craffield is a country home that dates from the 19th century.

7 Delaney purchased the plush second-hand property and its surrounding eight acres of land on February 20

7 Eight acres includes a tennis court at home Delaney bought last month

7 According to the property register, the sale went through on February 20 at a cost of €868,000

Delaney — who has now taken up the role of Executive Vice President with the Association — purchased the plush second-hand property and its surrounding eight acres of land on February 20.

But locals in the area said the FAI veteran hasn’t been very present in the area since then.

One told how Delaney had struggled getting access to his deluxe digs on one of his initial visits after securing the property.

The neighbour said: “He has been seen around but not much. He has made a few spots at most I would say.

“He certainly hasn’t been living here long anyway.”

These pictures of the salubrious pad, which enjoys a sunny south-facing aspect and has large windows and French doors, were taken from estate agent Sherry Fitzgerald’s website.

Extending to some 4,024 sq ft, the house comes equipped with a living room, with full height glazing to the south-facing wall, a library and a study.

There are five bedrooms, each with a bath or shower room either connected or immediately adjacent.

And the property also includes a tennis court, with a stream running through it and a pleasant waterfall, while the other areas are divided into three manageable grazing paddocks with post and rail fencing and easy access to a small barn with four stables.

According to the property register, the sale went through on February 20 at a cost of €868,000.

Yesterday it emerged that the FAI had been paying the rent on houses Delaney had been living in for much of the past decade.

The Sunday Times reported that this included the football body forking out €3,000 a month for a house also located in Wicklow.

The Kilmacanogue pad, which is valued at €1million, was rented from broadcaster Grainne Seoige and is around 45km north of Delaney’s new abode.

The news that Delaney would be stepping down from his role as CEO came after the Republic of Ireland’s dismal 1-0 victory over minnows Gibraltar on Saturday.

The Waterford native will now take on the newly created position of Executive Vice President, which will see him have responsibility for all Uefa and Fifa matters.

FAI Chief Operating Officer Rea Walshe has been appointed Interim Chief Executive until a permanent replacement is found.

And former Ireland, Arsenal and Sunderland legend Niall Quinn has emerged as a favourite to fill the vacancy.

According to the FAI, the restructuring was recommended following a review by sports governance experts Jonathan Hall Associates into its senior management structures and CEO role.

However, the timing of the shift has raised eyebrows — coming just a week after it emerged that Delaney had given a €100,000 loan to the FAI in 2017 to help with a short-term cash flow issue.

Delaney then failed in a High Court bid to get an injunction to block a story detailing the loan and it’s estimated that action cost him at least €50,000.

'SUBSTANTIAL REDUCTION' FOR DELANEY SALARY

According to the FAI, the 51-year-old is in line for a “substantial reduction” in salary as a result of changing roles.

He had previously pocketed €360,000 — with his salary once being as high as €450,000.

In the latest of the near daily FAI statements, it said yesterday: “As regards John Delaney’s salary in his new role as Executive Vice-President, the FAI can confirm that the salary is substantially less than the salary he previously received as CEO.” It is reported that his remuneration could be slashed by as much as two-thirds, reducing it to around €120,000.

Despite moving to a new role, the FAI also confirmed yesterday that the former CEO would still attend an Oireachtas Sport Committee hearing next month.

A spokesperson for the Association said: “As we stated last week, John Delaney will be part of the delegation that meets with the Oireachtas Committee on Sport next month. That meeting is currently scheduled for April 10 and the FAI has written to the committee offering to bring the meeting forward to April 3.”

Discussing the upcoming hearing yesterday, Taoiseach Leo Varadkar said the FAI “obviously” had question to answer.

He also told RTE Radio One it was important to ensure all taxpayer money issued to the organisation had been spent correctly.

He said: “It certainly seems like there have been some unusual arrangements when it comes to the FAI’s finances and certainly the bridging loan is unusual.

“An organisation of that size and scale would have banking facilities. I would have assumed they would be able to get a loan of €100,000 if they needed to.

“So obviously questions have to be answered. The Joint Oireachtas Committee will carry out hearings later in the week.

MOST READ IN NEWS BIG WIN One winner of €5,395,798 Lotto jackpot as lucky numbers revealed 'DIED ALONE' Missing boy, 14, found dead after search volunteers banned over Covid curfew TOTAL RECALL Argos recalls highchairs over fears back could fail causing kids to fall Latest COVID UPDATE Two more deaths and 234 new Covid-19 cases as 'next ten days critical' covid warning Ireland may need SEVEN-year plan to deal with Covid crisis, expert warns COV-ER & OUT Lockdown-free Sweden 'on brink of BEATING Covid after achieving herd immunity'

“The most important thing obviously from a public point of view — this isn’t a public body, of course, but it does receive public funding — is that we’ll want to be sure that the money that we give them as taxpayers . . . has all been spent on the purposes intended.”

Asked if he was aware of the FAI’s financial arrangements when he was Sports Minister from 2011 to 2014, Varadkar said: “Oh god, no.”

Sinn Fein’s Imelda Munster said: “Transparency around the finances of the FAI has been sorely lacking to date, which is not acceptable. The situation is becoming more bizarre by the day and the FAI needs to explain itself.”

7 The property also features a comfortable living room, as featured on Myhome.ie

7 A stable is just one of its standout features

7 The kitchen, as it featured in a video on MyHome.ie