THERE’S A LOT of talk about transparency in football and football finance these days.
The truth is League of Ireland clubs are in the dark on the running of our league, decision-making processes and especially the finances which affect their very existence, which clubs believe to be a significant net contributor to the FAI coffers.
In 2010, I attended a clubs’ meeting on restructuring the league. The FAI brought in an external facilitator to work with the clubs. Marketing was raised, leading to conversations about what money was in the kitty.
I hadn’t been Cork City chairman long and I asked a question of the facilitator, “Can we see the accounts for the League?” It seemed obvious to me that there would be league accounts; surely the league clubs should have access in an environment where others believed us to be a constant financial drain on Irish football. Others thought me naive (I was), but Shelbourne and Waterford United backed me and we received a commitment from the facilitator to bring back the information from the FAI; he didn’t foresee any issue.
At the next meeting when I asked for an update the facilitator effectively said ‘I’ve reviewed them, they’re fine’. It was like a cop in a movie shouting “nothing to see here” as a city crumbles behind him. I felt spoken down to and left with the sense that we wouldn’t understand them, ‘there’s a lot of cross charging, it isn’t straightforward’.
It was far from transparent; it was something I grew to live with.
The League of Ireland is governed by the National League Executive Committee [NLEC] which includes two representatives elected by the clubs. If you raise an issue to the FAI, in my experience, you’re often told it will be brought to the monthly NLEC meeting. I’ve never, nor has any league club I’ve spoken with, seen an agenda, minutes or a report from the NLEC. This body which makes all decisions regarding our domestic league and its finances simply does not report back to the clubs.
Clubs do not have the foggiest idea what goes on in those meetings, upon which their collective future rests. We’re not even certain who sits in on the meeting and votes. Clubs are told it’s confidential and ‘commercially sensitive’.
Around this time each year, as supporters wait for European opponents, clubs have representatives at the various draws. They’re present to agree home or away switches, exchange information and sort out logistics. The clubs also discuss their national associations. Through such conversations clubs have tried to fill information gaps the NLEC won’t. Right now, some believe that the League of Ireland and Women’s National League are contributing as much as €1,000,000 to the FAI annually.
Fellow European clubs and associations have highlighted that UEFA provide grants to national associations to support the running of their domestic league — we understand it could be in the region of €250,000 but may be much more. They have highlighted that UEFA provide grants to National Associations to run licencing [which only affects nationally competing teams] and disciplinary departments, at similar levels of finance. Clubs in the WNL understand that their league is grant-aided by UEFA to the tune of €200,000, approximately €180,000 of which is retaining by the FAI to administrate the league.
Factor in the sponsorship money contributed by SSE Airtricity and all the other businesses who clubs are required to give free billboard space to and it seems serious levels of finance are involved for a league where clubs cover their own prize money between affiliation fees and fines and a complete absence of TV money.
Of course, UEFA and sponsorship money coming in isn’t the issue, that’s welcome. The question is where does the money go? The league office is tiny, smaller than it has been in the past; the licencing office is small. To be fair, the people within them work extremely hard and in an environment where in recent years they’ve experienced paycuts and seen colleagues depart. But it’s increasingly hard for clubs to equate the perceived income with what is being spent on the league.
If we’re going to throw stones at FIFA over transparency, let’s make sure we’re not living in glass houses. Clubs have a right to know where money drawn down on their backs is going.