Rooney - Internal Investigation

[Superhoops]

From today's Indo:

FAI setting up committee to probe allegations against Fran Rooney
THE FUTURE of the man at the helm of Irish soccer remained uncertain last night as the Football Association of Ireland appointed a special committee to investigate allegations against him.

A three-member committee appointed by the FAI board and ratified by its 60-strong national council will investigate allegations made against chief executive Fran Rooney - including a nine-page dossier of complaints against him.

Mr Rooney, who was appointed to the €250,000 top post 16 months ago, is expected to be among a number of people the committee will talk to before reporting back to the association in the next few weeks.

Last evening, FAI president Milo Corcoran said that, following discussions at the board of management, it had been decided to establish a special committee "to consider matters raised". He refused to discuss the make-up of the committee, but the Irish Independent learned it will consist of FAI honorary secretary Michael Cody, vice president David Blood and board member Eddie Murray.

The troubled association is already under growing pressure over the implementation of the Genesis Report which recommended major restructuring of the organisation.

The association is also facing the prospect of having €300,000 in funding from the Irish Sports Council withdrawn unless it moves to appoint four key senior executives to the association, a recommendation proposed by Genesis.

Mr Rooney, whose position at the FAI remains under threat, has claimed he has been the subject of a witch hunt because of his determination to carry out the Genesis recommendations.

Gerry McDermott
and Fergus Black

What is the point in setting up an internal investigation, particularly when the investigation committee looks like comprising of three members a Board that agreed to exclude Rooney, from a recent meeting. Why should Corcoran decline to discuss the make-up of this committee? Perhaps, he knew Delaney would leak it to the press anyway!

Surely, any investigation should be conducted by an independent committee and in this case, the obvious choice would have been the Irish Sports Council, who in effect funded Rooney's appointment and have promised further if the Genesis recommendation is implemented.

The situation is becoming farcical, next thing the FAI will be appointing Delaney to conduct an internal audit into their finances!

[Cowboy]

AFAIK its being headed by David Blood who has known anti Rooney sentiments.

[aka Dus]

As if people are going to think any internal FAI investigation into FAI bitch fighting is going to be credible.

[1MickCollins]

This debacle is costing Irish soccer dredibility and money, from today's Indo:

IN the absence of any official response from the FAI to a deadline handed to it last month, the Irish Sports Council (ISC) has suspended €300,000 in funding due to be allocated this year.

The FAI had been given a deadline of last Friday by the ISC to implement the Genesis report although that coincided with the day on which the FAI were attempting to eject their chief executive Fran Rooney.

Despite the fact that several senior FAI figures were in contact with the ISC throughout the weekend, their pleas to apply for mitigation would appear to have fallen on deaf ears, unless there is an 11th-hour reprieve today.

"The deadline has passed and, as there has been no official response from the FAI, the funding earmarked from the ISC for this particular purpose has been suspended," said an ISC spokesman.

The Irish Sports Council are likely to debate the issue at a board meeting this afternoon, although given the manner in which the FAI have opted to proceed with their investigation into Rooney's performance, they are unlikely to budge.

Should the ISC not see any dramatic shift in the FAI's position in the short-term, the funding will be irretrievably forfeited, as the €300,000 figure pertains to this calendar year only. Once it has not been allocated by the ISC, it cannot be carried over to a subsequent year.

Some ISC board members are believed to be dismayed at the fact that the investigation into Rooney's performance is not being independently conducted. Rather, a three-man committee from the FAI's board, two of whom are seen to be compromised on the issue, will perform the investigation.

The ISC was not invited to conduct the investigation by either the FAI's Board or Rooney himself. The latter was still maintaining his silent stance on the matter last night, as he continues to pursue his next options.

That it will be a legal one is predictable enough, as any results put forward by a committee which is perceived to be biased in anyway will be inevitably open to a legal challenge.

[PaulB]

he's gone retired this morning, here we go again, its the fecken' muppet show!

[Donal81]

From the Irish Times this morning...

"Mr Fran Rooney resigned last night as chief executive of the Football Association of Ireland. Negotiations between representatives of Mr Rooney and thre FAI ended with a finanicial settlement that severs the links between the 46-year-old former Baltimore Technologies chief and Irish football's governing body with immediate effect.

The agreement, which will be confirmed at a press conference today, is reported to have been concluded in a car park of the UCD campus at Belfield."

F*cking amateurs, every single one of them. I'm quite serious about this, the FAI must be stood down entirely and rebuilt from the ground up! I don't wish to sound like some jaded trade union leader here but we need government intervention. Stand it down and start it again, it's the only way this miserable, pest-ridden farce of an organisation can work. I use the term 'organisation' extremely lightly as I can't remember that box of sh*te ever organising a damned thing. They take our money and then they make fools of us. Stand it down.

[petef]

Great shame just seen it on Sky now.

[1MickCollins]

I'm not a big fan of John O"Donoghue but external pressure needs to be brought to bear on the FAI - hold them over a barrel, say no money until Genesis is implemented and you make the workings of your organization transparent!! :mad:

Sports Minister holds meeting with FAI over Rooney resignation



19:22 Wednesday November 3rd 2004



The Minister for Sport John O'Donoghue has appointed a liaison officer to officiate between his department and the Irish Sports Council.
The unusual decision has been taken after what is believed to have been a tense meeting today between the Minister and senior officials from the FAI.

The unexpected meeting was called after FAI Chief Executive Fran Rooney resigned from his position today.

It is understood that he told them that there was growing anger within government over the way the FAI have been handling it's affairs.

John O'Donoghue is believed to have told the FAI that they must ensure that the Geneses report into soccer reform is this country is implemented in full.

To ensure this happens he has appointed a liaison officer to act between his department and the Irish Sports Council to keep him informed of developments.