By Paul Lennon

It was shortly after two o’clock on Saturday afternoon and delegates were glancing anxiously at their watches, concerned that they might miss lunch if proceedings dragged on any longer.

Two hours of truly mind-numbing propaganda was plodding to a painful conclusion in the conference centre of Clonmel’s Minella Hotel when we finally struck comedy gold at the FAI AGM.

“Before we end, I believe a number of delegates, on behalf of the grassroots, wish to make a presentation to John Delaney, our CEO,” beamed association president Tony Fitzgerald as he read from a prepared script.


Teed up by Fitzgerald, Gerry Tully of the Roscommon and District League and Connacht FA, mounted a sterling effort to secure immediate honorary life membership with a speech that elevated grovelling to a new low.

“John has embellished all aspects of the game in Ireland and, indeed, Europe but, most importantly, at grassroots level here in Ireland,” commended Tully whose choice of ‘embellish’, according to Thesaurus, is to ‘enhance with fictitious additions’.

“And, for that, we are extremely grateful. Today, I congratulate you on your reward which is richly and well deserved.”

Not to be outdone, Noel Kennedy of the Sligo and Leitrim League added his tuppence worth.

“I had the privilege last year, John, of saying that you are the best CEO that the FAI ever had and, on your home patch, I would like to say ‘thank you’ for proving me correct,” stated Kennedy, who has experienced a road to Damascus conversion since the turn of the century on Delaney.

“The reports given today show how lucky we are to have a person of your calibre guiding us into the future,” added Kennedy about the 48-year-old who is paid €360,000 per year, receives an unspecified pension contribution from the FAI and whose expenses are not revealed in the annual financial report — just as they are not for any of the FAI’s officers or staff.


Another delegate from the west wasn’t slow to prove that there are none so blind as those who do not wish to see.

“I would like to make comment on the finance situation because I know that some members of the press are perhaps obsessed with writing about it and quoting the figure,” he said.

“I would just ask them to remember what the debt was incurred for — just remember that piece of property we all have in Dublin.”

Failure

Is that the Aviva Stadium that has cost the FAI a staggering €22m — €5.2m in 2015 — in unplanned interest payments since the start of 2011 due to the failure of the 10 year Vantage Club premium level tickets to sell — not surprisingly when they cost between €12,000 and €32,000 each?

Is that the Aviva Stadium that has drained that €22m and other funds out of Irish football and that may eventually cost the FAI up to €150m — not the original €96m contribution from the Association towards its overall cost or the €76m that Delaney constantly spoke of a few years ago of when VAT rebates to the FAI on construction costs were factored in?

Is that the Aviva Stadium that is currently struggling to make money for its owners, the FAI and IRFU?


And what about the dip in sponsorship income from 2014 or how much did Martin O’Neill and Roy Keane receive in bonuses for qualification for Euro 2016?

Is the FAI going to fully restore the cuts in pay that most staff — a large number of them on far from salubrious wages — suffered four and five years ago?

Maybe the delegates should ask a few questions at next year’s AGM in Kilkenny for, once again, NOT ONE query was made from the floor to the officers on this occasion, just as there was no press conference held after the meeting — the fourth consecutive AGM that this has occurred.

The 20-second standing ovation for Delaney from about two thirds of the 125 delegates present — 99 were entitled to vote — was muted at first but gathered a degree of momentum when some in the hall — nervous about the next Government grant — looked around to see who had risen on their hind legs.

Delaney did his best to appear taken aback by this noble gesture — some feat for a person who ‘starred’ in the 2014 film ‘John The Baptist’, various other independent late night productions in recent years and whose image flashed up 30 times in the six minute video covering last week’s events at the Tipperary festival of football.

Earlier, the gathering had kept to its North Korean theme of recent years when the chairmen of five committees gave their reports — recorded previously — via DVD on large screens even though Donal Conway, John Earley, Paraic Treanor, Jim McConnell and Eamon Naughton were all seated below the biggest one at the top table!

At the AGM, it was announced that the FAI, in conjunction with the Premier Clubs’ Association (PCA), is giving funding of up to €5,000 per club to assist each of the 20 SSE Airtricity League clubs towards completing five-year strategic plans.


What an insult. So the FAI’s response to the ongoing problems in the League of Ireland is to allocate less than one percent of the €11m prize money it received from Euro 2016 to help fund reports that should be carried out centrally.

If the PCA has any balls or hope that it can have real future clout it should reject this meagre ration.

Much was also made of the recent announcement that €10m has been shaved off the FAI debt, leaving it at €40m and declarations from several officers and staff that it may be debt free by 2020.

But this may still be a tall order given that €35m remains in stadium debt plus €5m in other debts.

It’s only fair to point out that there are many, many football officials, FAI staff, volunteers and others who strive daily to improve football in this country and whose sole concern is nurturing the game that they love.

But any organisation that stifles real debate on crucial issues at the heart of Irish football is not being true to these people.

READ MORE:


- FAI to invest €100k into the SSE Airtricity League

- Find out why Roddy Collins wants to box FAI boss John Delaney

- 2000: The Ireland v Holland match that changed the face of Irish football