THE €5,000 FAI grant offered to each League of Ireland club as part of the association’s strategic plan has been branded “disgraceful” and “disrespectful” by Derry City chief executive Sean Barrett, who added that the association “don’t seem to care about the league”.
Barrett suggested that more of the €11 million that the association received from Ireland’s Euro 2016 participation should have been devoted to the domestic game, and indicated that the club would reject the offer.
“I think it’s absolutely disgraceful the way they have treated the clubs,” Barrett told Derry Now. “The FAI received €11 million and to throw something like that at us is disgraceful when we as a club on its own have had at least six players coming through Derry City Football Club to go on and play international football.
For us to be treated like that is not only disgraceful, it’s disrespectful and we will be not be accepting that figure. We will be telling them to keep the money. We won’t accept it.”
Speaking last month, FAI Chief Executive John Delaney said that the League of Ireland’s progress is not going at the rate he “would like” but the CEO insisted that the association cared deeply about the issue.
“The league matter is very important to the association and to me. It’s hugely important to the progress of our game, there’s no doubt about that. But there’s a collectiveness about it, sometimes I feel: ‘What are the FAI going to do in a singular way?’”
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