Bohs and the FAI

Is it clarified that they needed the money for travel expenses or as is stated in the initial article to pay wages etc?

I feel for the hard working genuine fans at Bohs, and theres plenty of them, they know there board has sold them down the river and can see what has gone on.

Its a shame really as it seems there is a massive chance that they will win the league on the pitch only to be stripped of it and relegated, assuming that is the FAI will follow precedent from the Shels fiasco.

Will teams in our leagues ever learn a lesson about chasing the dream at the very risk of a clubs survival!

I think the best way the FAI could manage this situation is to monitor each clubs 65% stats on a monthly basis and not giving them until the end of the season to fiddle there books! Penalties to be impelmented at the end of every month where a club has not complied!

E.G: If Bohs win the title they will factor in the prize money to contribute towards there 65% responsibilities, this is very wrong IMO and bordering on stupidity for a club to budget for league winning prize money!

When will all he negative publicity surrounding our league end, and for the most part, clubs are bringing it all on themselves!

The first port of call for any club who hits financial difficulty while playing in Europe is to tap up the FAI for an advance on the UEFA Cash. A good few clubs have gone down this road successfully before, Cork City certainly have. It's completely different to the FAI handing over €100k of their own money, people should be questioning why something simple that happened months ago is only coming out now.

This goes on every year, the mock outrage is laughable.

In theory and practice in this case, the FAI bailed Bohs out no matter which way you look at it. Bohs had no money to pay for an away match and the FAI gave them the money.

"Internal Compliance Officer Padraig Smith insisted in an online Q&A last March that "the FAI has not and will not provide financial assistance to clubs to fund their operational costs"."

Sure jesus in that case we should have went to them at the start of the season and asked them for a loan of €250k and told them it was for players and players wages and that we would pay them back at the end of the season when we won the league and cup.

The difference here is that UEFA will pay the FAI the money at the end of the 2009/10 season, so there's no issue over Bohs repaying the money; they just won't get it at a later stage (in theory).

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Originally Posted by Roo69

In theory and practice in this case, the FAI bailed Bohs out no matter which way you look at it. Bohs had no money to pay for an away match and the FAI gave them the money.

"Internal Compliance Officer Padraig Smith insisted in an online Q&A last March that "the FAI has not and will not provide financial assistance to clubs to fund their operational costs"."

Sure jesus in that case we should have went to them at the start of the season and asked them for a loan of €250k and told them it was for players and players wages and that we would pay them back at the end of the season when we won the league and cup.

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You're wilfully misunderstanding the situation. BFC could have gone to the bank for an overdraft ,but went to the FAI for a cash advance instead-presumably as this was the cheaper and more sensible option. BFC could also have put onthe poor mouth and left the FAI in the ridiculous poisiton in UEFA's eyes that the champions of the league couldn't honour a champions league fixture. I would say it is a standard enough practice done by all clubs in this league or in fact in any business where a fianance dept. will resort to any trick in the book to drive best value for their organisation.

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Originally Posted by bad mongo

You're wilfully misunderstanding the situation. BFC could have gone to the bank for an overdraft ,but went to the FAI for a cash advance instead-presumably as this was the cheaper and more sensible option. BFC could also have put onthe poor mouth and left the FAI in the ridiculous poisiton in UEFA's eyes that the champions of the league couldn't honour a champions league fixture. I would say it is a standard enough practice done by all clubs in this league or in fact in any business where a fianance dept. will resort to any trick in the book to drive best value for their organisation.

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no i actually not... and the reason why i think that is because, could Bohs have really gone to the bank and asked for a further overdraft/loan ? With Bohs well documented financial trouble i don't think any bank manager would lend Bohs €100k. They would have agreed one at the start of the season that aloud for a certian amount but to go back and ask for a further 100k on top, just couldn't see any bank manager in their right mind giving Bohs that money on top of what they already owe.

If Bohs budget had of been done right at the start of the season then they would not have such a problem.

"will resort to any trick in the book to drive best value for their organisation." ya see in my mind that's called cheating, Really proves that clubs who are all spending within their means are the clubs struggling, well apart from Rovers but that's a whole different story and why they are having success at present.

There being no risk to the FAI, I don't consider this much of a bail out.

Some of the quotes from the Bohs board look worryingly delusional though.

I think everybody is overlooking the real question this story raises:

Who leaked it to a journalist and why?

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Originally Posted by osborne

I think everybody is overlooking the real question this story raises:

Who leaked it to a journalist and why?

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Nail on head.

The article itself is a non story.

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Originally Posted by John83

There being no risk to the FAI, I don't consider this much of a bail out.

Some of the quotes from the Bohs board look worryingly delusional though.

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Sorry John but asking for the money is a bail out regardless of risk and shows what sort of strife they are in. The Bohs fans that are out there and have long copped on to what the board have been up to must be so annoyed at this stage and that is the sad thing about this.

To be told they are well within the 65%, staying full time next year and looking to build their budget upon an increase in European competition is where the delusion you talk about sets in. They should be hoping for a license next year and even a team as that squad will all be gone come the end of the season.

The league need their big sides to be showing the way in all aspects and this can only be done through total transparency by everyone involved.

I dont ever want to go back to a Tony Maguire type fiasco at Rovers, Cork dont need this crap with Coughlan and Bohs dont need this board to continue to spend like they are awash with money. Before anyone starts with their 4% arguement with regards to Rovers we were in a very similar position to both Cork and Bohs and we fought tooth and nail to take the club, act honestly and move our club on in a positive, responsible way. I genuinely hope clubs in a bad position right now act quickly to save themselves or face oblivion and that will leave a lot of honest fans out there wondering, why??

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Originally Posted by bad mongo

seems straightforward enough.
Bohs: Dear FAI, we have been drawn in Austria for the CL, it is costing us an arm and a leg to get there, accomm, hiring training facilities etc. We can't afford to cover this and the month's wages out of current expenditure. We could go and get a ridiculously expensive overdraft but if you lend us the money it will save us a few quid in interest and would be much appreciated. Yours in sport- BFC

Journalist: BFC can't pay their wages and the FAI are lending them the money.

easy enough to see there are two angles to what is a non-story.

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Seems spot on to me. Don't the FAI generally pay this money to clubs at the end of the season and get recouped by UEFA in May anyway? Surely there are enough real scandals that this doesn't need to be published.

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Originally Posted by theneutral

I think the best way the FAI could manage this situation is to monitor each clubs 65% stats on a monthly basis and not giving them until the end of the season to fiddle there books! Penalties to be impelmented at the end of every month where a club has not complied!

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They do check accounts at the end of every month and apply transfer bans if the club's projected spending for the year is over 65%. I don't think it's reasonable to punish clubs mid-season. Low crowds at the start of the season could leave a club in breach early in the season but with the chance to reduce spending in later months they could be under 65% and I don't see anything wrong with that.

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If Bohs win the title they will factor in the prize money to contribute towards there 65% responsibilities, this is very wrong IMO and bordering on stupidity for a club to budget for league winning prize money!

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You're right here, prize money for the league and Europe (bar the minimum available) shouldn't be allowed to be included in budgets. Include it in the next year's figures maybe.

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Originally Posted by A N Mouse

Nail on head.

The article itself is a non story.

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It most certainly is a story. There is an issue to be addressed by the FAI despite most people's insistence that this story is old hat.

The granting of money by the FAI was always done under the guise that it was to assist with travel arrangement and hotel expenses associated with participation in Europe. The FAI's position was that club's would not get money to help pay wages. The e-mails prove that Bohs needed and used the advance to pay wages. That may or may not have been the case at other clubs, but this is the first time it’s been proved that the money has been used to pay wages. That’s the story and stop pretending that there is no issue to be addressed in this story.

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Originally Posted by SMorgan

It most certainly is a story. There is an issue to be addressed by the FAI despite most people's insistence that this story is old hat.

The granting of money by the FAI was always done under the guise that it was to assist with travel arrangement and hotel expenses associated with participation in Europe. The FAI's position was that club's would not get money to help pay wages. The e-mails prove that Bohs needed and used the advance to pay wages. That may or may not have been the case at other clubs, but this is the first time it’s been proved that the money has been used to pay wages. That’s the story and stop pretending that there is no issue to be addressed in this story.

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Very good point

Good summary on the Rovers forum -

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Originally Posted by Roverstillidie

I think you are being a bit OTT on the FAI here. This is standard enough practice.

The interesting bits to this story are
- B*hs struggling with day to day cash flow and players wages
- Someone on or very close to the gypo board is leaking
- How obvious it was that one of them on the email expected that to have that money and be able to spend it
- How they were going to hide it in the accounts.

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Originally Posted by Schumi

They do check accounts at the end of every month and apply transfer bans if the club's projected spending for the year is over 65%.
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What use is that outside the transfer window of July.

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Originally Posted by Buile Shuibhne

What use is that outside the transfer window of July.

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Technically, they can sign free agents or non-league players at any time.

You didn't have the money guaranteed coming to you in a few months though.

Didn't the FAI advance some of this year's prize money to all premier clubs, or did I dream that?

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Originally Posted by bellavistaman

Doesnt this put the fai's and namely that plonker padraig smith previous comments about the fai not given any kind of donation to any club to shame or not??

Like 100k was 1/5 of the total debt we were in, if they had have given us the "advance" we could still have loi club in cobh quite possibly, anyways its all in the past and i understand the league cannot afford to lose a club like bohs!!

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Didn't they offer to buy your ground and lease it back to you and get turned down?

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Originally Posted by tallaghtfornia

Sorry John but asking for the money is a bail out regardless of risk and shows what sort of strife they are in. The Bohs fans that are out there and have long copped on to what the board have been up to must be so annoyed at this stage and that is the sad thing about this.

To be told they are well within the 65%, staying full time next year and looking to build their budget upon an increase in European competition is where the delusion you talk about sets in. They should be hoping for a license next year and even a team as that squad will all be gone come the end of the season.

The league need their big sides to be showing the way in all aspects and this can only be done through total transparency by everyone involved.

I dont ever want to go back to a Tony Maguire type fiasco at Rovers, Cork dont need this crap with Coughlan and Bohs dont need this board to continue to spend like they are awash with money. Before anyone starts with their 4% arguement with regards to Rovers we were in a very similar position to both Cork and Bohs and we fought tooth and nail to take the club, act honestly and move our club on in a positive, responsible way. I genuinely hope clubs in a bad position right now act quickly to save themselves or face oblivion and that will leave a lot of honest fans out there wondering, why??

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very good post,its disgraceful whats been going on at bohs,there were some right delusional people running the club.but recently shamrock rovers came into a few bob after real madrid and what did they do,sign a goakeeper they didnt need,30000 allegdly on a player from bray and washed up barrett.so i think all clubs have a few delusional people running them.there is very little forward planning in loi,its all about the present and some glory