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Former senior PSNI officer appointed new chairman of the IFA

Former PSNI acting deputy chief constable Stephen Martin has been appointed as the new chairman of the Irish Football Association (IFA). Picture: IFA
Former PSNI acting deputy chief constable Stephen Martin has been appointed as the new chairman of the Irish Football Association (IFA). Picture: IFA Former PSNI acting deputy chief constable Stephen Martin has been appointed as the new chairman of the Irish Football Association (IFA). Picture: IFA

Former senior PSNI officer Stephen Martin has been appointed as the new chairman of the Irish Football Association (IFA).

Mr Martin, who, at one point was acting deputy chief constable, retired from policing in January after 34 years.

His departure came after he was not short-listed for the permanent DCC role.

In June, he was appointed as an independent non-executive board member of the IFA.

David Martin, IFA president, said Mr Martin's skills and experience "will be a real asset".

The IFA board unanimously approved the appointment on Thursday.

Speaking about his new appointment, Mr Martin said: "We are in a great place again now and building on our success at Euro 2016.

"We all wish our new manager Ian and the team good luck for the qualifiers this autumn," he said.

Mr Martin, who replaces banker Gerry Mallon who had held the post since 2015, had been a candidate for PSNI chief constable when Simon Byrne succeeded George Hamilton

In April, the former senior police officer said he would not pursue legal action against the PSNI amid concerns about the recruitment process.