Ireland

Minister calls for details of `pay off' by the FAI to former chief executive John Delaney to be made public

John Delaney left his role as FAI chief executive for on the newly-created FAI job of executive vice president
John Delaney left his role as FAI chief executive for on the newly-created FAI job of executive vice president John Delaney left his role as FAI chief executive for on the newly-created FAI job of executive vice president

A GOVERNMENT minister has called for details of the `pay off' by the FAI to former chief executive John Delaney to be made public, insisting "root and branch reform" of the association is needed.

Mr Delaney resigned from his position of executive vice president with immediate effect, the FAI announced late on Saturday.

Negotiations for his departure were led by association president Donal Conway and vice president Paul Cooke and followed Mr Delaney undertaking in April to voluntarily step aside after it emerged he had loaned the FAI €100,000.

The association said it will "fulfill certain notice and pension obligations" to Mr Delaney.

It said in a statement: "Mr Delaney served as CEO of the FAI from 2005 to March of 2019 during which time the FAI became partners in the new Aviva Stadium.

"In 2017, he was elected to the UEFA Executive and in March of this year, he moved to a role of Executive Vice-President of the FAI."

The FAI insisted both parties have agreed to make no further comment.

However, minister for sport Shane Ross said the government wants to know details of the financial agreement.

He told RTÉ News he would be asking if public money formed any part of the deal as taxpayers needed to be confident that "large sums were not being paid unnecessarily".

"I think it's absurd after all the controversy that we shouldn't know exactly what the pay-off is," adding he wanted to see the "old regime renewed in its entirety".

"It’s not good enough to chop off one head and save the rest of them. We've got to see root and branch reform."

Three reports are pending into the financial affairs of the FAI, the results from the first expected to be published on Monday October 7.