LAST UPDATE | 16 Nov 2023

THE FOOTBALL ASSOCIATION of Ireland have expressed regret following the CEO pay revelations which saw the Government suspend funding to the association.

The FAI were found to be in breach of the terms of its bailout as a result of payments made to chief executive Jonathan Hill, as first reported by the Irish Independent.

Hill agreed to repay roughly €20,000 received in lieu of holidays not taken and commuting expenses from regularly travelling to FAI headquarters in Dublin from his home in London.

Previously, the Memorandum of Understanding between the FAI and the government signed in January 2020 decreed that the pay for the association’s CEO must not exceed the secretary general of a government department, which was €216,000 in 2022.

On the back of a meeting yesterday, the FAI have released a statement acknowledging the mishap.

Part of it read: “Regarding the MOU clause relating to CEO remuneration, the Board has conducted a full and detailed review of the issue with the Executive.

“The Board regret what happened and are committed to ensuring the lessons learned are fully adopted.”

The association also addressed the fallout from last week’s EGM — the results of which threatened to see an anticipated €4.35 million in state funding fall through.

A board proposal to have a 50-50 split between traditional directors and those appointed independently failed to gain the necessary 75% approval to be passed.

A gender quota of 40%, which similarly failed to be agreed on, was another necessary condition for government funding.

Today’s statement, however, suggested the FAI were still intent on meeting these criteria despite the outcome of the EGM indicating otherwise.

“The Board and the Executive team fully accept the recommendations of the report from Sport Ireland and are committed to implementing the recommendations immediately.

“The Board also discussed the decision taken at the EGM on November 9th, not to approve changes to the Constitution that would have enabled the FAI to achieve its 40% female gender representation by the end of 2023.

“The Board have noted the subsequent comments made by Minister of State at the Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media Thomas Byrne where he clearly outlined the requirement to maintain a 50:50 ratio of Football Directors to Independent Directors into 2024 and beyond for the FAI to secure the full financial support of Government.

“The FAI Board will consult with a cross section of members in the coming days to discuss potential solutions so that recommendations can be brought forward.

“It is the FAI Board’s intention to meet the requirements outlined by Government.”

The FAI have also this evening confirmed that Tony Keohane has been put forward as a replacement for Roy Barrett by the Nominations Committee as the new Chair of the association’s Board.

Keohane, the former CEO of Tesco Ireland and, subsequently, Chairman of the Tesco Ireland Board, is due to be ratified by the General Assembly at the FAI’s AGM on 10 December.