At last - Delaney has spoken!

From todays Indo:

IN a terse, one line statement, John Delaney yesterday cleared the way for normal relations to be resumed between the Government and the FAI.

Responding directly to the Minister for Sport John O'Donoghue's concern that two vital FAI positions should be advertised by January 1, Delaney said: "I have no difficulty with the Chief Executive Officer's position or the Financial Director's position being advertised by January 1 - and I never had. However, in relation to the Financial Director's position there are potential complications."

It is believed that the complications referred to are legal and employment rights issues that will have to be addressed and that need to be explained to the Government.

The major implication of Delaney's statement is that, provided he gets clearance from his current employers to take up the interim post of CEO which the FAI Council requested last Thursday, he will be the leading contender for the post when it is advertised.

Delaney will know within the next week or ten days, and he will then have the best part of eight months to make his mark in a job which will be filled at the FAI's AGM next July.

One liners are becoming the speciality of Corcoran and Delaney, true comedians!

I wonder if these 'legal and employment rights issues' will ever be explained in public.

However, one has to assume this concerns Peter Buckley's employment status within the FAI. I am no lawyer, but if the new Finance Director post is to replace Buckley's current position, then surely it is pretty straight forward. Buckley should be given notce that his post is being made redundant, that he can apply for the new post, which will also be open to external applicants and if he is not successful in being appointed to this new post, then he will be entilted to a redundancy payment in accordance with his contract of employment (assuming he has one), or a negotiated settlement.

But, as with most things with the FAI, it is odds on that it will be anything but simple and unless they come clean, there will always be suspicion as to why Corcoran, Delaney et al are so keen to keep Buckley in post and within the FAI. If Buckley is the best man for the job then he should not fear any external competition.

I can't help thinking there is some connection between this 'we're backing Buckley' stance by Corcoran and Delaney and the reports that Rooney was asking akward questions about match ticket allocation. Are they trying to cover up another major scandal?