Denis O'Briens donation

[paudie]

Tony o'Donoghue sounded like someone with a massive chip on his shoulder on the Six one news. Saying the O'Brien's contribution cast a shadow over the appointment or words to that effect. Is he for real? I think Delaney must have forgotten Tony when buying a round on an away trip or something.

Imagine if the FAI had refused his offer, the media would have a field day. As someone else pointed out Abramovich is funding Hiddink in Russia and everyone says what a great man McManus us for supporting Limerick GAA from his home in Switzerland.

Yes it would be great if O'Brien funded Bray to Champions League glory but he hasn't so I'll thank him for this contribution. At least it's better than Quinn & Co. funding the nightclub trade in the Nort East of England.
It's like giving out cos Beamish sponsor Cork City by saying they should be supporting the Knocknaheeny Celtic Under 12's who "really" need it.

[drummerboy]

Denis O'Brien just said on the Vincent Brown show on TV3 that he was in touch with Delaney BEFORE Stan was sacked as Ireland manager. Quite unusual. The hacks will go to town on this. Brown has that washpish old fart Bernard O'Byrne on trying to pick holes in the appointment.

[Maroon 7]

Papers next few days will be all about O'Brien now and not Trap.

Vincent Brown even asked him could he have not spent his money on some other organisation in Ireland that needed it more.

[nui-harp]

That "interview" had to be the biggest farce ever. On the day of the biggest appointment in Irish football history, they could do nothing but pick holes in it. They were a disgrace in the way they went about that. Everyone knows Stan was useless at his job....who gives a toss if O Brien was involved before he left. The right man is in the job now so lets everyone get behind him and less of the negativity.

Bring on the World Cup:ball:

[finnpark]

That "interview" had to be the biggest farce ever. On the day of the biggest appointment in Irish football history, they could do nothing but pick holes in it. They were a disgrace in the way they went about that. Everyone knows Stan was useless at his job....who gives a toss if O Brien was involved before he left. The right man is in the job now so lets everyone get behind him and less of the negativity.

Bring on the World Cup:ball:

O'Brien got Staunton sacked :eek: I bet he wishes he didn't come on now.

[finnpark]

Denis O'Brien just said on the Vincent Brown show on TV3 that he was in touch with Delaney BEFORE Stan was sacked as Ireland manager. Quite unusual. The hacks will go to town on this. Brown has that washpish old fart Bernard O'Byrne on trying to pick holes in the appointment.

yes, you could smell the jealousy there. Thank god hes at Pats now, hes hard to stand.

[geezer]

****ed off with messr o brien getting midnight phone calls in the carribean from king john d (keepin him in the loop like) john forgot eircom the main sponsor competes with dennis in telecoms in different parts of the world. It also makes you wonder about the buffoons in the board of management do they like just make tea eat biscuits and claim expenses while dennis, eddie jordan and john d are the real board..... still they dont half make a great appointment mind you the football will be ****e

[Maroon 7]

yes, you could smell the jealousy there. Thank god hes at Pats now, hes hard to stand.

Bernard O'Byrne does come across as an particularly odious individual.

[geezer]

obyrne or kerr did seem a bit keen to raise the eyebrows. Oh i love football the fun is only starting

[SuperDub]

What is it with irish people a shower of begrudgers. your dammed if you do and dammed if you dont. No one complains about irish business people putting money into the english league.

I Was in Tehran at the world cup play off game a few years ago and obrien was stood on the terrace with the rest of us with eddie jordan. He said he tries to get to as many away games as possible. Seemed a decent charactor.

[DmanDmythDledge]

Well without looking in to their accounts. I am sure they dont just sit on the money and invest it in Generale Societie or something like that.
I think the FAI made something like €30m profit last year. €1m isn't a whole lot for them. While it can help with investing it in the grassroots/whatever it's hardly going to make a significant impact like some people have suggested.

[finnpark]

No one complains about irish business people putting money into the english league.


If you go to the eircom league forum you will see loads of people who complain about this and laugh at them wasteing their money promoting british soccer. You even get some Irish people supporting English teams ahead of Irish teams and buying their merchindise to make English businessmen richer. Its a funny old world. :)

[sullanefc]

fair play to obrien, I liked the way delaney got one over on mulryan and those others investing in english football. for once i think he has said something impressive. great dig.
Yeah the dig was great. Loved it!!

Yes great dig, disgusted though to hear that lying money laundering hyprocite in Leinster House (occasionally) say how great Trappatoni is for Irish Football whilst raving on about Man U when intervewed showing absolutely no tact.

Is this Bertie you are talking about. Did he have a comment on Trapp???

[sullanefc]

I think the FAI made something like €30m profit last year. €1m isn't a whole lot for them. While it can help with investing it in the grassroots/whatever it's hardly going to make a significant impact like some people have suggested.

source? :confused:

[Ringo]

Once again Delaney and the FAI astound me in their ineptitude. They now are indebted to Denis O'Brian, on some level or another and this talk of no strings attached is BULL. O'Brian should have no involvement like this and faiLURE should have told him where to go. If anyone thinks that this guy is in it for anything more than PR needs a serious wake up call.

Also, I think Pat Dolan raised some very good points earlier on Setanta as to why Trappatoni took the Irish job, but I do hope he is 100% committed and gives all players a fair chance to get into the squad.

O'Brien can keep his tainted money. it would be more in his line to pay his tax here. its just a PR exercise. why not be anonymous?

[ifk101]

Initially I felt a little bit uneasy about the mention of O'Brien's name. But I think that's because we've grown up in a society of brown envelopes and our understanding of the word "donation" has a hidden meaning.

Anyways his name is out in the open from the off and as far as I'm concerned it's pretty much a non-issue at this moment in time although I wouldn't rule out it becoming an issue further down the line in some shape or form.

[blackholesun]

Good man Denis, thank you for helping to fund a world class manager rather than an amateur like Kerr or Stan!

fcuk the begrudgers ...

I cant believe anyone is whinging about this ...

bhs

[Macy]

It's funny because it will really annoy "Independent" News and Media and their owners.

However, this lauding of billionaire tax exiles when they splash a fraction of the tax that they should've paid disgusts me. If they wanted to help Ireland, they could fookin live here and pay their taxes so the democratically elected Government can decide, not come in as some kind of white knight for you current pet project.

For what it's worth, I don't see how the FAI had much choice but to take it.

[gspain]

O'Brien can keep his tainted money. it would be more in his line to pay his tax here. its just a PR exercise. why not be anonymous?

He isn't breaking any laws. Anybody on here who wouldn't legally avoid tax if they could?

[Macy]

He isn't breaking any laws. Anybody on here who wouldn't legally avoid tax if they could?
Lots probably would, but would they come back a few times a year splashing the cash expecting to be slapped on the back like some of them (especially some from the Limerick area) do?

[tomred23]

O'Brien can keep his tainted money. it would be more in his line to pay his tax here. its just a PR exercise. why not be anonymous?

If he stayed anonymous it would of came out anyway.Fair play to him for getting away not paying tax. I would do the same. He is a great irishman. The FAI can now put the money there saving not paying Trapps full wages back into irish soccer.Can't believe people are given out about this.

[Deckydee]

Dont forget that English millionaires have been helping out the FA for years!

Why cant we do it with all the millionaires we have

[reder]

Couple of quick points on this:

- IF DOB is simply donating the money cos he wants the team to do well then
fair play. However, I suspect the donation may also be metaphorical 2
fingers to Eircom.

- Trap is the type of character that is going to clash with the media here
pretty quickly. The are sinking lower and lower every year. I hope his eats
them alive.

- DOB has absolutely no obligation to dig badly run irish clubs out of the sh1t.

[Wolfie]

Lets just view the O'Brien money at face value - a generous gesture to secure a Manager of experience and achievement. End of story.

Who would we be discussing if O'Brien hadn't donated - El Tel, Billy Davis, Lawrie Sanchez?

I think the FAI handled this well in stating the facts of O'Brien's involvement straight away. It's out in the open and not hanging over them, which would have suggested some underhanded dealing.

I'd imagine every newspaper editor had to re-write a lot of glaring headlines that they had stored up for the Sunday papers on this yesterday.

Having endured this tortuous process and agonised about who we'd be landed with - lets just enjoy the fact we've appointed Trapp - even for a few days.

[OneRedArmy]

Who would we be discussing if O'Brien hadn't donated - El Tel, Billy Davis, Lawrie Sanchez?Probably still Trappatoni as the FAI have more than enough to pay the full wages themselves.

The fact O'Brien publicised the donation tells you all you need to know about the man.

Anyway, I'm glad he's spending my money (and yours too) on such a worthy investment. He's clearly such a proud Irishman he upped sticks and left the country, because, Godforbid he might have to pay tax to his beloved Ireland which could be used on schools, hospitals and the like.

Huzzah to him, truly an Irish hero........

[monutdfc]

O'Brien is a tax exile. In my opinion (and nobody has to agree with it), tax exiles don't deserve to be called Irish, because they don;t share the tax burden with the rest of us. 1M is a tiny fraction of the tax he would have paid if he lived here. he made hundreds of millions out of Esat and then went to Portugal to avoid CGT on this money. Michael O'Leary, for all his many many faults at least lives here and pays his taxes here and I admire him for that. The "typical Irish begrudgery" line is a knee-jerk reaction - and I have to say that is those posters on this site who I would regard as the more thoughtful ones who recognise the wider picture.

EDIT: ps I'm certainly not saying the FAI shouldn't take the money, of course they should. And it is decent of O'Brien to give it. But what I am saying is that it doesn't make him into a great Irishman giving it, and he shouldn't be hero worshipped for it. If he was a true Irishman he would have given much much more to the state over the years.

[blobbyblob]

Can we add a poll to this thread?

DOB Donation...

A good thing
A bad thing

[monutdfc]

It's not as simple as that - good or bad - but reading some of the posts here you would think it was.

btw c. €80M tax he avoided on the sale of Esat by moving to Portugal.

[tblade]

this lauding of billionaire tax exiles when they splash a fraction of the tax that they should've paid disgusts me. If they wanted to help Ireland, they could fookin live here and pay their taxes so the democratically elected Government can decide, not come in as some kind of white knight for you current pet project.

For what it's worth, I don't see how the FAI had much choice but to take it.

I agree totally. Denis O'Brien has given this money as a PR exercise. He's due up before the McCracken tribunal again soon about the money he gave Michael Lowry. At the moment he's in the High Court trying to block the investigation. If it turns out that the mobile phone license was awarded corruptly the state is wide open to being sued for 100s of millions of Euro by the other companies that didn't get the license.
The last time I saw Denis O'Brien being interviewed he was whinging about having spent over 10 million (we could have had 10 Trapatonnis!) in legal fees because of the tribunal. If you cut away all the smoke and figures and legal jargon the tribunal is basically asking a very simple question. 'Did you bribe a politician?' If the answer to that question is no, then why would you need to spend so much in legal fees?
I could also mention how he got ESAT cables laid along railway tracks (state owned infrastructure) for almost free. All this stuff costs money lads. OUR MONEY.

In short Denis O'Brien gave the money for his own selfish reasons and the FAI are right to take it for our own selfish reasons. It's a marriage of convenience and I can live with it if it means success for the Irish team, which would have a spin off benefit for Irish football at all levels.

Trapatonni's appointment is great for Irish football. It doesn't make O'Brien a great Irishman or a saint any more than it makes the FAI a top class professional outfit. For once we've got a good result and I don't really care how we got it.

Enough talk about O'Brien and his grubby money. Can we just get on with the job of supporting our new Il Duco and the Boys in Green?

[GavinZac]

To a lot of LOI fans the national team is just a bit on the side from their first love, some even want the national team to fail. It's completely different for many of us on here who love the team with a passion.Yes but we get our love every day around the corner, instead of every couple of months in Dublin for €60 a go :P And those who would want the team to fail usually want this, not out of spite for the team, but because they want an effect of this - e.g. Staunton/Delany/Givens/Devlin/Granny Exploiters out.

While I recognise a good deed by DOB, its slightly worrying. No club would get away with making such a coup on short term investment that they cannot afford to renew. While people are saying "at least this money will now go into grassroots", thats simply not true. The money was never there in the first place, and now its gone straight into a formerly great manager's pockets, simply because italian managers are en vogue around this parts at the moment. What do we gain out of giving a mercenary another million? We could have appointed an Irish man with knowledge of Irish football from top to bottom, instead we have someone who will probably only come to the country when we're at home. Is it really this difficult to appoint someone who the bunch of primadonnas we call our international team will respect?

[Wolfie]

O'Brien is a tax exile. In my opinion (and nobody has to agree with it), tax exiles don't deserve to be called Irish, because they don;t share the tax burden with the rest of us. 1M is a tiny fraction of the tax he would have paid if he lived here. he made hundreds of millions out of Esat and then went to Portugal to avoid CGT on this money. Michael O'Leary, for all his many many faults at least lives here and pays his taxes here and I admire him for that. The "typical Irish begrudgery" line is a knee-jerk reaction - and I have to say that is those posters on this site who I would regard as the more thoughtful ones who recognise the wider picture.

EDIT: ps I'm certainly not saying the FAI shouldn't take the money, of course they should. And it is decent of O'Brien to give it. But what I am saying is that it doesn't make him into a great Irishman giving it, and he shouldn't be hero worshipped for it. If he was a true Irishman he would have given much much more to the state over the years.

Personally, I couldn't give a flying feck as to how "great" O'Brien is or otherwise.

The only relevance I find in this donation is that it paved the way for Traps appointment.

[Oink]

What are you on about? He doesnt have to give any money to anyone yet he did. Its his money. No-one said he helped out any clubs, and he doesnt have to, obviously he doesnt give a hoot about kilkenny, and why should he? He has no obligation to any LOI teams. Again its his money and he can do with it what he wants!

Exactly what I wanted to say.... They way some people think bewilders me sometimes.

[eirebhoy]

btw c. €80M tax he avoided on the sale of Esat by moving to Portugal.
tbh I think awful lot of people would do the same if it meant saving €80m.

[blobbyblob]

It's not as simple as that - good or bad - but reading some of the posts here you would think it was.

btw c. €80M tax he avoided on the sale of Esat by moving to Portugal.

It really is as simple as that. This thread is about Irish football and this country's appointment of a truly top grade manager for the first time ever. (We got lucky with Jack). The means to do so requires money - lots of money. Money rules football. Where the FAI get it from is inconsequential. This is sport. Not politics.

There are other places to discuss the merits of DOBs entrepreneurial tactics. This isnt it.

This is a good thing for Irish Soccer - It really is simple.

Also pretty ironic that 95% of those who sneer at DOBs donation will support premiership clubs bankrolled by the same kind of people. The only difference is DOBs getting nothing in return.

[Stuttgart88]

Yep, it's his money and he can do with it what he wants. It's a pity more of the super rich don't want to contribute to sport in Ireland in their own way. It's only a small donation in terms of his own wealth but it's significant for the FAI.

It's a start, but it'd be nice if O'Brien, Jordan et al got together and financed a national academy for the FAI, or maybe invested directly in their local eLOI club. It's what I'd do if I had the odd hundred million to spare!

[monutdfc]

tbh I think awful lot of people would do the same if it meant saving €80m.
I don't disagree, I'm just putting the 1M in its context

[eirebhoy]

While I recognise a good deed by DOB, its slightly worrying. No club would get away with making such a coup on short term investment that they cannot afford to renew. While people are saying "at least this money will now go into grassroots", thats simply not true. The money was never there in the first place, and now its gone straight into a formerly great manager's pockets, simply because italian managers are en vogue around this parts at the moment.
Delaney said the money allowed them to raise the bar. He never said they had to offer the entire wage limit to get Trap.

[tblade]

I propose this thread be closed under the heading 'Off Topic for Football'.

All it serves is to

a) detract from the news of a great appointment that signals a new era, hopefully and

b) to give bitter left-wingers a place to rant about someone with far more money than they will ever see!

I say fair play & thanks to Do'B - more money for grass-roots and an opportunity to take Irish football to a whole new level. I would guess he wants great things for Irish football as well, to bring back the good times we enjoyed many years ago and above all aspire to be as successful as we can be!

Bring it on...

Aw didums. Basically 'I can't win the argument so I want the thread closed.' Basically as I said earlier. It's a marriage of convenience. I'm happy to see Trapatonni in there. The FAI were right to take the money. But I do not see any need to need to praise O'Brien. Calling someone anyone who asks a few questions about this guy 'a bitter left winger' is a very lazy argument. If Michael O'Leary or Fergal Quinn or any of the vast majority of hard working Irish entrepreneurs had given the money I wouldn't have batted an eyelid because as far as I know their money doesn't have a smell off it.

[Ireland4ever]

Isn’t it great that we live in a society with such high moral standards? And I’m sure away from this forum these same people live by these standards, b*****x they do! Given half a chance any one of yee would try and pay less tax if ye could.
And the whole Denis O’Brien’s an exile and doesn’t pay any tax shame on him argument galls me , its rich for residents of a country like ours to be playing that card. Our Celtic tiger was built on providing tax incentives for large foreign companies i.e. enticing foreign owned companies to set up a base here so they didn’t have to pay a higher rate of tax in their own country! I don’t remember the uproar when these companies set up here and provided us with the lifestyle improvements a vast majority of us enjoy today, so crawl out of your arses-s and just be glad that a very smart business-man put some of his money into something we all can enjoy.
P.S. I hope you all boycotted bono’s music when he decided he didn’t want to pay tax to his native land and set up base abroad?

[OwlsFan]

I haven't read the comments here. I suspect there are a host of begrudgers but we live in Ireland afterall.

Money to pay the manager frees up money to go to other areas of football in Ireland. That's all that matters.

A man is entitled to do with his money what he wills. An entrepreneur who made a fortune. Good luck to him and to the Irish team. The FAI are not rolling in cash so it's great news.

[Drumcondra 69er]

Lads, it is simple. D O'B is a businesman who, like many others, took advantage of the captitalist system and it's inbuilt corrupt politicians to make his fortune and bugger off without paying meanignful tax on it. That, unfortunately is the way of the world much as that sort of behaviour is anthema to some of us.

I'm delighted he gave the money but that doesn't make hima hero in my eyes, as people have said it's a drop in the ocean to him. The FAI would have been fools not to take it and when you look at McManus's donations to the GAA etc it shouldn't be looked upon as a big deal. I do have reservations about the fact that he said last night he was involved before Staunton's sacking, that was a stupid thing to say and lays things open to scrutiny. In reality however everyone knew Stan was a dead man walking.

The other point to make is that had he paid his €80m in taxes it propbably would have been p1ssed away along with the massive budget surpluses enjoyed during the 'boom' years that never managed to find their way into building a decent infrastructure, public transport system, health service etc. If I had that sort of wedge and saw the wastage and incompetence shown at every turn by the government of the last 11 years I'd be loath to pay tax on it myself.....

[GavinZac]

Money to pay the manager frees up money to go to other areas of football in Ireland. That's all that matters.It doesn't. The money wasn't available in the first place, so this money goes straight to Trap with no change for "other areas of football in Ireland" or "Irish football" as I like to call it.

[Ozymandias]

sic when he decided he didn’t want to pay tax to his native land and set up base abroad?

Artists income is tax free..thats why joe eliot and a host of others reside here and are domicile here for tax purposes

[Macy]

People are very quick to critisise him but I guarantee you would not be giving it all to charity if in the same position!
No, I'd be feckin paying it in taxes. I have zero time for O'Leary, but as has been said he at least lives in this country and pays taxes in this country. Is it okay for me as a PAYE worker to evade tax because the current Government a useless wasters? So why is it morally acceptable for the likes of O'Brien to avoid tax?

To repeat what I said earlier, the FAI were right to take the money, however as has also been pointed out this is extra money - nothing extra will go to the grassroots.

[eirebhoy]

It doesn't. The money wasn't available in the first place
I already replied to your point above. The FAI would have probably went to about €1.5m a year to get Trap without O'Briens money. I'd be surprised if he's getting paid any more than that before bonuses, never mind much more.

[tblade]

I haven't read the comments here. I suspect there are a host of begrudgers but we live in Ireland afterall.




When you have bothered your arse to read the comments, you will then be entitled to pony up your own opinion. You wouldn't have to 'suspect' anymore you might 'know' things instead.

[OneRedArmy]

Ha! Are you for real??! :confused: OF is dead right...
I hope the irony isn't lost on you...:rolleyes:Dead right not to read the thread?

Spanner by name.....

[Seagull-4-life]

Don't wanna sound like an eejit but what exactly did he do??? (I was away the last week and i'm not reading the first 50 odd pages to find out)

[eirebhoy]

Don't wanna sound like an eejit but what exactly did he do??? (I was away the last week and i'm not reading the first 50 odd pages to find out)
Just for future reference. Type "denis o'brien" into google. Click the news tab. You shouldn't need to ask questions like that on the internet. ;)

[Seagull-4-life]

Just for future reference. Type "denis o'brien" into google. Click the news tab. You shouldn't need to ask questions like that on the internet. ;)

Just did it there mate point proven fair play to the lad he deserves all the praise he gets