John Delaney has been on ‘gardening leave’ since last Monday

John Delaney issued an instruction to the FAI’s finance department to pay his then girlfriend €15,000 in 2014, internal records seen by The Sunday Times show.

The FAI’s Sage accountancy system records a total of €60,000 in “professional fee” payments in the name of Susan Keegan in late 2013 and early 2014, at a time when she was the chief executive’s girlfriend. Neither Delaney, who has been on “gardening leave” since last Monday, nor the FAI, has offered an explanation as to what the payments were for.

The FAI said: “An independent investigation by the association into issues of concern to the board is continuing and further comment is not possible at this time.”

Keegan denies receiving any payments from Delaney or the FAI.

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