The John Delaney Thread

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Originally Posted by Real ale Madrid

https://www.irishtimes.com/sport/soc...nths-1.3848024

So did Dundalk's Europa league monies keep the FAI afloat from a Cashflow perspective during 2017?

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I'd say the FAI put it to good use rather than letting it sit in their account.

There's an argument that the IFA be the sole controlling body overseeing senior league football in Ireland :clover:

Emmet Malone reported today
'After their Europa League run in 2011, Shamrock Rovers were left waiting on around €500,000 for more than six months and are believed to have experienced significant difficulty in obtaining payment.'

'This (delay) is a particular issue for the various other clubs that compete in the qualifying stages each summer. Prize money has grown hugely over the last decade and having won the league, and so initially qualified for the preliminary rounds of the Champions League last summer then having gone into the Europa League, Cork City would have been due around €800,000 - but charter flights and other expenses have to be met up front.'

'One club claims that while Irish League sides receive money up front from the association north of the border to help with participation, funds that are then deducted when the prize money comes through, League of Ireland outfits have to come up with the cash, often through borrowings, and are then made to wait extended periods to get it back.'

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Originally Posted by osarusan

From the Indo:

https://www.independent.ie/sport/soc...-37978067.html

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Fair enough. But Dundalk haven't commented officially and it makes no sense why they would agree to it in the first place.

Yet another in a long list of strange transactions as regards the FAI and cash / cashflow.

Have all the cards been laid out bare on the table by the Oireacthas Committee, so that now the FAI can carefully prepare their answers to the known/expected questions?

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Originally Posted by geysir

Have all the cards been laid out bare on the table by the Oireacthas Committee, so that now the FAI can carefully prepare their answers to the known/expected questions?

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Unless they come up with a good reason for the 100k loan by Monday they risk losing Sport Ireland Funding. I don't think there are too many hidden questions in any case tbh.

Before the proceedings, the Oireacthas Committee agreed to carry on regardless of the FAI's response to the 100k question. As soon as the committee questioned the sports council, it was clear that the FAI fudged the issue yet again. In a grandstanding fit, Noel Rock demanded the proceedings should stop until the FAI were in the (virtual) dock. The chairperson intervened and reminded him of the pre committee agreement to carry on regardless of the FAI's response.
Malachy Clerkin described Rock as "the closest anyone came to performative high dudgeon all day". That's a nice descriptive turn of phrase.

Latest from the FAI,- some board members did not know they were actually board members, others deny being board members. :rolleyes:

As opposed to offering basic ethical transparency, the FAI board's obsessive concern about optics reaches newer heights, with the release of a 21 page somewhat vacant yet suspicious opening statement for the Oireacthas Committee. Some shape shifting in response to last week's mayhem, they now have adopted a mea culpa approach towards Sports Ireland without adding any clarification. WE are sorry, we didn't mean to hurt your feelings, but we are still saying nothing, except contrary to earlier statements, some of us didn't know anything.

Firstly it took me some time to find the actual statement issued by the FAI this afternoon. Is there an easy place to find these things? The FAI website is a quagmire to me.

Secondly the 22 page statement (as per one news source) is by all accounts a double edged sword. If board members were not 'fully aware' or did not know about the loan, and yes in many organisations in Ireland this is true, communication are fuddled and dire, then how could the same members without all the knowledge approve Delaney for his new position?
On the backswing of the blade is the blow that this also leaves the FAI room to say they can't fully answer questions to the Oireachtas Committee because they have not met with the correct people to consult on that particular issue.

Commitee meets with FAI at 0900 tomorrow, link to the Oireachtas live-stream here: https://www.oireachtas.ie/en/oireachtas-tv/cr4-live/

its infuriating that the FAI have cut staff wages, let development officers go, cant supply basic kit to some of our teams, award pathetic prize money to the LOI yet can afford some of the biggest salaries going around football administration and commission madly expensive consultants reports at will. its all so self-serving

It will be so interesting to see how the FAI will get out of this Scot free, they as always will find a way.

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Originally Posted by NeverFeltBetter

Commitee meets with FAI at 0900 tomorrow, link to the Oireachtas live-stream here: https://www.oireachtas.ie/en/oireachtas-tv/cr4-live/

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Private session, so it won't be viewable.

That's dissapointing. The Oireachtas schedule didn't say private or public, just assumed it was public. Strangely Sporting Ireland were grilled in public last week.

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Originally Posted by Scrufil

Firstly it took me some time to find the actual statement issued by the FAI this afternoon. Is there an easy place to find these things? The FAI website is a quagmire to me.

Secondly the 22 page statement (as per one news source) is by all accounts a double edged sword. If board members were not 'fully aware' or did not know about the loan

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It was not a loan!!

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and yes in many organisations in Ireland this is true, communication are fuddled and dire, then how could the same members without all the knowledge approve Delaney for his new position?
On the backswing of the blade is the blow that this also leaves the FAI room to say they can't fully answer questions to the Oireachtas Committee because they have not met with the correct people to consult on that particular issue

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The board were not fully aware of the "transaction" at the time in 2017, but it was public knowledge by the time there was a board meeting which allegedly met and approved of Delaney's new position. That followed on from the recommendations of some alleged secret review, where it is alleged that the review (with magnificent foresight) managed to come up with an appropriate exit strategy for JD. It is just one of those coincidences in life that the fabled review's exit strategy has all the appearances of being made up on the spot by Delaney some 5 minutes before the board meeting, in the aftermath context of the failed court case etc.etc

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Originally Posted by geysir

It was not a loan!!


The board were not fully aware of the "transaction" at the time in 2017, but it was public knowledge by the time there was a board meeting which allegedly met and approved of Delaney's new position. That followed on from the recommendations of some alleged secret review, where it is alleged that the review (with magnificent foresight) managed to come up with an appropriate exit strategy for JD. It is just one of those coincidences in life that the fabled review's exit strategy has all the appearances of being made up on the spot by Delaney some 5 minutes before the board meeting, in the aftermath context of the failed court case etc.etc

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The review that came up with the new role for JD has been provided to the Oireachtas. There's some more on that here: https://www.independent.ie/sport/soc...-37995853.html

sport Ireland to suspend funding to the FAI...

https://www.rte.ie/news/ireland/2019...sport-ireland/

The Oireachtas Committee were hammering on that point a lot in the meeting with Sporting Ireland last week, their reps expressed great reluctance to go that far. That they have today shows how badly this is going for the FAI.

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Originally Posted by jbyrne

sport Ireland to suspend funding to the FAI...

https://www.rte.ie/news/ireland/2019...sport-ireland/

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So this is what the end looks like.

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Originally Posted by passinginterest

The review that came up with the new role for JD has been provided to the Oireachtas. There's some more on that here: https://www.independent.ie/sport/soc...-37995853.html

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The review was made public April 8th, and it just reads as pre-packaged to suit a changing narrative. Would it be out of the question that the internal consultation and feedback on this key recommendation took place a day or days before March 23rd? He who pays the piper calls the tune

"Following extensive internal consultation and feedback, the Report’s key recommendation is that the FAI Board consider creating a new role of Executive Vice-President and start the process of recruiting a new Chief Executive in order to put itself in the best position possible for the strategic period ahead," it read.

Regardless of the premature haste to push out the packaged solution which perfectly fitted Delaney, the entire purpose of calling this review smells.
If anybody questions the merit of the new role for Delaney, he can claim it was not me who said it, 'twas from this independent review by first class sports expert JH associates who said it and they are the authority in these organisational matters.
This report comes from a hired sports consultant, most probably given a narrow brief to come up with a plausible context for Delaney to be in the FAI and retain the Uefa position
The wording of the report is fawning, would anybody be surprised if Delaney prepared the script?

The FAI's "enviable position" of having Mr Delaney on the board
the FAI should consider its approach in 2021 in the "hopefully unlikely event" that Mr Delaney is not re-elected to the Uefa executive committee.
Whats that about? should Delaney get the chop from Uefa, he should be restored to former position?

And all this delusional cr*p about world cup bids.

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Originally Posted by Kingdom

Private session, so it won't be viewable.

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RTE says the first hour is private, and the committee will meet in public from 1000. The first hour is generally for discussion/adoption of minutes and procedural issues (says the Oireachtas website)

Link again: https://www.oireachtas.ie/en/oireachtas-tv/cr4-live/

And there was me thinking the private session was for Imelda Munster to request a medley of Rebel songs from duo John Delaney and Dickie, er I mean, Noel Rock, with pints all round.

Is that cathal Dervan behind your fella? If so, has dyed the hair to the tilt!
And a Healy Rae there? Tsk, what the hell

Private session now, after they all got some papers handed to them. FAI Season ticket renewal forms?

Somebody's been briefing against Noel Rock today...
https://www.independent.ie/sport/soc...-37999766.html

Thinking about the loan that started all this. Who benefited from it hasn't been satisfactorily addressed. There's a narrative that the FAI had some unspecified cashflow problem (now seemingly unknown to all the board), but the source of Delaney's loan is assumed to have been from him personally. Which leads me to wonder: if the FAI did not actually need a loan, did it benefit Delaney in some other way to transfer 100k from personal funds, or one of his businesses? Maybe I'm too cynical, but it's a default setting where the current FAI regime is concerned.

Listening to FAI's opening statement, afaiu the accounting review has not confirmed that there was an actual cash flow shortage, why there was a shortage or where the 100k went.
The FAI say that there was a creditor knocking on the door who was paid 100k

I’m just sitting back laughing my ass off at how big a shambles this federation is!

Surely no person with a brain can buy this sh!te that the FAI are spewing!

After the FAI's opening statement, full of self praise, the chairperson asked if the GT account report was available to back up the FAI claims, the Fai president looked dumbfounded, taken aback by a request to supply independent evidence to support the FAI's claims. He must have thought he was at the FAI annual conference where the FAI board's word is gospel and unquestioned.

They've had to suspend twice because the FAI delegation brought typed statements the committee weren't informed about beforehand, which is apparently a bit unusual. Evidence of the lack of oversight the FAI has previously been used to?

Who'll ask the 100k question, why did you go to the High Court in a bid to suppress the story about the loan?

I believe it's outside the remit of the committee to actually ask that question, at least directly, unless the decision to seek that injunction was taken by the FAI board?

Not to say some TD won't ask, Coppinger probably, but the chairman would probably leap in to prevent an answer.

Coppinger tweeted Delaney's statement, he's going to refuse to answer questions on the loan: https://twitter.com/RuthCoppingerTD/...19366871298048

Edit: Suspended again, as the Committee seek legal advice on Delaney's statement.

If Grant thorntan have said there was a need for the 100k , which i think was said there (trying to listen in work) , it kind of must be true as all that would be needed is bank statements to prove it.
Delaney might get out of this yet , but if its that simple why is he refusing to ansewer questions.

Good line by them referring back to the Kirwan case , the committee will be worried about that one.

After all the opening statement's bluster about the glorious FAI and the wonderful football family we are a part of, the illustrious leader of this family drops a 'my lips are sealed' clanger, I am answering no questions about the loan' My legal advice preclude me .....

I wonder why Delaney feels that answering questions about the elephant in the room (and it's a small room) would effect a negative impression about him.

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Originally Posted by sbgawa

If Grant thorntan have said there was a need for the 100k , which i think was said there (trying to listen in work) , it kind of must be true as all that would be needed is bank statements to prove it.
Delaney might get out of this yet , but if its that simple why is he refusing to ansewer questions.

Good line by them referring back to the Kirwan case , the committee will be worried about that one.

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No, the FAI said there was a GT review, full stop. Then the FAI repeated their own account of the circumstances of the loan.

Next question, why did the Fai not ask the bank for temporary extra 100k overdraft?

There we have it. From the horses mouth. The FAI were broke. The 100k was lodged because they were on the verge of bouncing cheques.

Delaney says he sought an injunction on the story because of an issue with the family courts? So it came up during his divorce case then?

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Originally Posted by NeverFeltBetter

Delaney says he sought an injunction on the story because of an issue with the family courts? So it came up during his divorce case then?

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Court sealed documents.
His wife's solicitor denied empathically releasing this information.
Was there not a rumour about a FAI deep throat?

FAI President says they knew about JD's attempted injunction, that's it. Certainly doesn't say he approved or disapproved.

Noel Rock tries to bring up Dundalk, think he's trying to imply they were a creditor at the time of the loan, FAI refuse to comment.

FAI delegation can't (or won't) state who approved some of their press releases. Bizarre.