A BOOK CHRONICLING the mismanagement of the FAI under former chief executive John Delaney will hit the shelves this year.
‘Champagne Football: The Rise and Fall of John Delaney and the Football Association of Ireland’ has been described as “a shocking exposé of the fall of the most powerful man in Irish sport, with exclusive new information” by publishers Penguin.
It is written by two men who broke the scandals and led the media investigation into the association’s finances last year — Mark Tighe and Paul Rowan of The Sunday Times.
Tighe was named 2019 Journalist of the Year for his reporting on the story, while Rowan was joint winner of the NewsBrands Campaigning Journalism and Investigative Journalism awards (alongside Tighe and Colin Coyle) for his work on it.
The book is due for release on 17 September.
“We are thrilled to be publishing Champagne Football with Penguin Ireland in September, said Tighe. “This has been a unique opportunity to work on a long-form deep dive into the story of John Delaney’s career with the FAI. It has been a pleasure to weave all of our journalism into one story. We are so excited to see it reach shelves and readers.”
Champagne Football will give those who followed this story closely at the time even more insight and information,” said Rowan. “It will offer those less familiar with the details a comprehensive telling of a truly incredible story. We hope this will prove to be an important book, and are delighted to be working with Penguin Ireland.”
Michael McLoughlin, Penguin Ireland, added: “We are thrilled that Mark Tighe and Paul Rowan came together to write Champagne Football. Who better to tell this story than the journalists who broke it and won multiple awards for doing so?
“We think it will really appeal to football fans and current affairs enthusiasts alike. We are very proud to publish what is sure to be a hugely impactful book.”
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