FAI sell home games to Sky

From www.ireland.com

FAI sell home games to Sky
By Conor Pope

05/07/02: Sky Sports has acquired exclusive rights to show all the Republic of Ireland's home internationals over the next four years.

The new deal comes into effect in time for the start of the European Championship qualifiers in September.

Speaking on RTE television this evening the FAI’s treasurer, Mr John Delaney, said that the deal offered to the FAI by Sky Sports was "simply too good to turn down" and insisted that the Association was acting in the "best interests" of developing Irish soccer.

It is understood the deal will be worth more that €7.5 million over the next four years.

The Minister for Arts, Sport and Tourism, Mr John O'Donoghue, while acknowledging the right of the FAI to enter into such deals, expressed his disappointment saying that it would deprive many Irish soccer fans the opportunity to watch the national team play live.

In a statement he added that he had no doubt his sentiments would be shared by fans of "this great Irish team throughout the length and breadth of the country".

In addition to the deal with Sky, the FAI have also announced the decision to grant TV3 the rights to screen home internationals "as live" but delayed by one hour.

TV3, who currently own the Champions League rights in Ireland, will also acquire the rights to domestic Irish football with a commitment to broadcast a minimum of five live matches a season.

No more John Giles, no more George Hamilton. And my Gran now has to get Sky Sports just to watch our national team play.... Welcome to Ireland, we're we have to watch a foreign pay channel to watch our national team play.

It's a f*cking joke. Imagine if the English FA sold their home matches TV rights to an American channel like ESPN who would only show the game on PPV in England, and gave ITV the rights to show matches an hour after it ended meaning you'd be watching crap highlights starting at eleven o'clock at night. It just wouldn't happen, only in Ireland would that happen :rolleyes: :(

As for British TV's coverage, fiddle music, mispronouncing Mark Kinsella, Gary Doherty & Kevin Kilbane (at least Paul McGrath and Kevin Moran aren't still around), harping on about Ireland's great team spirit giving us no credit for doing well, joking how the team is really an England B team, calling the team Eire the list goes on (oh and Bobby Robson reffering to Ireland as "we" and "us" during the WC )

Plus this probablly means the end of Bill O'Herlihy aswell as Apres Match. I don't think Bill does any other presenting apart from Ireland games on RTÉ.
Okey doke...we'll leave it there so :(

I hope there's going to be a protest about this, football in this country is a disgrace. The FAI are without a doubt the spawn of satan and there's no f*cking way I'm going to get a foreign TV channel to watch my country play.

I think most people were willing to forgive the FAI after the Saipan debacle, but this is the last straw.

I think judgement should be reserved until we see what the good burghers of the FAI do with their windfall. If they invest it in one of the following crucial areas, I think it'll be a good piece of business:

(1) A new luxury Learjet to fly the blazers to far flung destinations
(2) A corporate jolly, I mean fact-finding mission, for the boys out to Hawaii, just in case the WC is held there in 2340
(3) A new fleet of limos for the boys. Can't have them travelling from Blackrock into Merrion Square in a Merc now, can we?
(4) A 200% increase in the salary of every FAI official for the sterling work they've done over the last 2 years
(5) A multi-million pound advertising campaign for another stadium that will never be built. Sure, it'll give their mates in the advertising and PR businesses a couple of bob.

So, don't be so hasty so slander the FAI. I'm sure they'll spend it in the best interests of Irish football.