Heard the one about the blokes who run juvenile soccer in this country and decided to buy a corporate box?

We tried to shed some light on this matter last Friday afternoon. So we contacted Cathal Dervan, the FAI's Director of Public Relations and Communications, and followed up with a series of emailed questions.

We wanted to know, among other things, why the Schoolboys Football Association of Ireland (SFAI) allegedly paid €50,000 last year for a lease on a corporate box at the Aviva Stadium. Dervan responded promptly by text, saying, "you need to talk to the SFAI, cheers".

I replied: "Like who? Who's the SFAI press officer? Doesn't seem to be either a press officer or indeed secretary listed on the SFAI website."

He replied: "I'm sure your colleague John Fallon can help point you in that direction, cheers". John Fallon is a sports journalist. Dervan sends me, unsolicited, a number for Fallon.

The text tennis continues. "Isn't that your job?" I reply. He replies: "I don't work for the SFAI Tommy, good luck". I reply: "Good man Cathal. Classy as ever". He replies: "Nothing I have said here by the way is for publication". Seconds later, a follow-up: "This is all off the record". Seconds after that: "And thank you".

While we will have to take his word that he doesn't "work for the SFAI", Rule No 1 on their website states that the SFAI comes "under the jurisdiction of the Football Association of Ireland".

Anyway, 14 minutes later, having presumably thought about it, he forwards me the contact details for a Simon Walsh, whom he describes as an "SFAI administrator". Then two further follow-ups: "Simon is best placed to address your questions", and, "Again I would recommend emailing him".

So we emailed the same set of questions to Simon Walsh. Late on Friday night we get a courteous reply from Walsh. He offers his apologies and explains: "I'm the administrator, I look after competitions mainly, my advice would be to contact SFAI chairman John Earley". Fair enough.

But we'd already tried to contact John Earley, and his colleagues Pádraic Clarke and Brian Johnson, respectively the vice-chairman and treasurer of the SFAI. We also tried a number of members of the SFAI's Council.

Earley, until Thursday night, was a member of the FAI's board of directors. On Friday week last he sat at the top table while FAI president Donal Conway and executive lead Paul Cooke revealed a disastrous set of accounts for the organisation.

Asked on that occasion if he would step down, Earley insisted he would continue to represent his "constituency", which includes 100,000 boys and girls under the age of 16.

Last Thursday morning The Irish Sun broke the story about the SFAI spending an alleged €50,000 on a corporate box at the Aviva. On Thursday night, Earley released a statement saying he had stepped down from the board of the FAI with immediate effect.

Earley was originally appointed to the board in May 2015.

"I naively believed and was reassured," he said in his statement, "that the relevant professional departments would ensure that the financial aspects of the Association were run in an orderly and professional manner. This was clearly not the case and it has become apparent, particularly over the last week, that the result of that collective failure has been catastrophic."

Earley, as far as we know, remains in situ as chairman of the SFAI. The Tipperary native presumably believes that buying a corporate box with money earmarked for children's football is an example of finances being disbursed "in an orderly and professional manner".

Lest there be any doubt, the FAI confirmed the story: "The SFAI purchased a box at the Aviva Stadium in late 2018 with the full backing of the SFAI executive.

"The box is used as a sponsorship and marketing tool by the SFAI."

We still don't know the sums of money involved, or the length of the lease. It is the Clare senator, Fine Gael's Martin Conway, who alleges that the cost was €50,000 and that the lease is for five years.

We won't know for sure until the FAI, or SFAI, clarify the matter. And when they eventually get down to it, they might also explain why a corporate box was a priority, rather than say a renovated set of dressing rooms and showers for a couple of penniless clubs.

Other questions remain. When they say that this decision had "the full backing of the SFAI executive", do they mean that all these grassroots toilers thought it was the best thing to be doing with fifty grand? That there were no dissenters at all? Did it go to a vote, for example, or was it just nodded through?

The SFAI governs 32 district leagues with over 1,000 clubs, from Inishowen in the north west to Waterford in the south east. Were they all informed, and were they all good with it?

And as for the "sponsorship and marketing tool" part of the bargain - how is that working out? Are there local businesses buying jerseys left, right and centre for local clubs since the SFAI acquired a hospitality suite in Lansdowne Road?

John Earley did a bit of hand-washing when he came under media pressure last Friday week.

He lamented that "people" who'd been giving him financial advice had been "economical with the truth at the time". But his own resignation statement on Thursday night had a fair amount of built-in economy too. There was no mention of this improbable purchase at the Aviva.

Obviously we need to know more about this. Because instead of a Christmas box, the football-loving children of Ireland will be amazed to discover that Santa has actually brought them a corporate box, even if the FAI is keeping the gift under wraps for the moment.

Sunday Indo Sport