What now folks, what do people think the potential impact of today's revelations will have on our League and can we keep the FAI CUP:o
What now folks, what do people think the potential impact of today's revelations will have on our League and can we keep the FAI CUP:o
Where do you start on the potential issues. Hopefully though the new company that will run the league might avoid some of the associated issues eg sponsors. But when it comes to an increase on prizemoney etc from the FAI at a time when staff cuts are likely to happen among all the flying ****e well timing isnt the best. That said any time that saw JD ousted cant really be all bad. It beggars belief though - how long would he have persisted with the charade of financial stability before the cards came crashing in - Ollie Byrne had his critics but at least he cared about something when playing with money that didnt exist.
Nobody knows where this debacle ends. It is a clusterfuk, probobly unmatched in Irish sports history. Possible legal cases alone may take years, and who will be involved in any future administration ? At least until things are clearer ?
LOI clubs should be looking at some structure outside the FAI.
How many LOI clubs/reps helped to prop up the FAI regime through vocal support, statements or failing to question them at AGM's etc of the past decade or so, directly or indirectly, and would any of those same people end up involved in any new league set up via their club position?
He was a player - six month ban for criticising a league official for defending Delaney. Absolutely disgraceful stuff, and symptomatic of the huge problems in the game at the moment.
What'll happen the league after this? An obvious one is that prize money could be cut, or league entry fees could be raised. The FAI is bust, and will be looking for money from all sides. Sponsors may be less likely to get involved at club level too. This could easily see us lose a couple more clubs - and there's no-one interested in joining the league.
The whole structure of Irish football needs to be rebooted; every league shut down and the whole structure started from scratch with a proper pyramid system. Along the lines of current local systems if needs be, but there's too many small fish in big ponds with way more power than they deserve.
You would imagine European spots will get even more important now - guaranteed good money in a time of nothing - and Dundalk/Rovers would need to seriously mess things up to be challenged at the top in the short to medium term I think.
There is a hint of you rubbing the hands at all this MR Parker. As Martinho alluded to there wasnt much opportunity to question Herr Delaney. There was a air of fear to dissenting as it would likely lead to some sort of punishment. If anything the silence from senior clubs spoke volumes bar the few that threw their hat in with Delaney managing to surpress the media as in the past.
I think you are confused. Of course journalists couldn't ask questions at an AGM. They were only given special dispensation to be in the room to report on it. Though how they were coralled and prevented with interacting with reps was wrong, but nothing to stop them interviewing reps away from an AGM. The membership, including the LOI reps are and were fully entitled to raise questions, it is their meeting.
There is a petition running against his ban.
https://www.change.org/p/football-as..._bandit_var=v1
I'm not rubbing my hands at anything. The membership of any organisation is duty bound to ensure their organisation is being properly run. That should be via AGM's, the FAI Council, committees etc. The failure to do so, by many member club in effect makes them complicit. What is worse is those who went out of their way to laud platitudes on such a regime. IFA AGM's over the years, by comparison, have seen many lively affairs with the top table being challenged left, right and centre, leading meetings being adjourned and resulting in significant changes. One that Delaney attended as a guest recently even saw a protest from a fan leading to the police being called and the meeting having to eventually being moved to another room.
Maybe all the FAI associate clubs were trying to emulate the magnificent IL and pre-booked their holidays during a known important event.
Did I say it was magnificent? Hardly a good argument to defend what was allowed to happen.
I saw this earlier in a newspaper report, and if one of our IFA board members who was there to represent clubs stated his, then there would be serious questions asked why they are on the board.
"The six new board members elected in July had been part of the FAI council who had a duty to keep Delaney and his fellow board members in check.
"To a large extent, you take things at face value," added Richard Shakespeare, one of the six new board members.
"We were getting assurances, both from reports at council meetings and the auditors at the AGMs," added Shakespeare, a senior official working for Dublin City Council. "I didn't know what questions to ask. I'm a volunteer, not an accountant."
Given his background in sport and business, especially, iirc, having held a treasurer position for several years at the Athletic Union Council, this surely be of concern.
I think that's a bit simplistic to be fair. A club official at an AGM doesn't have the same info as a person on the board - so the suggestion that they aren't really suited to being on the board because of their comments while not on the board isn't really reasonable I think.
Also, the FAI does seem to have been run along the same lines as North Korea in a way - I think the threat of damage to your club from speaking out was very real. A number of people were stabbed in the back for challenging Delaney, for example. Is it worth damaging your club to ask a question, when you didn't know what questions should be asked anyway? Are you going to stand up in the AGM and ask if the audited accounts are really accurate, for example? What sort of question is that? Are you going to ask to see Delaney's expense forms? That's not business for the AGM.
Once you're on the board though, it's literally your business to know these things, you have access to far more info, and far more right to that info. It's not comparable.
Regards the board membership, I think we saw at that Oireachtas committee meeting that many of them hadn't a clue what was going on. Remember that Eddie Murray guy? If that was the calibre of board member, then the whole situation becomes a bit more believable.
It's to easy to abdicate responsibility by using the "volutunteer", in fact it should never be used. You have been elected or appointed to a position to do a job. You have accepted the responsibilities that go with it. He sat on the Council, a much more entrusted position than a rep at an AGM.
As for the fear factor you allude to, what power, in real terms, could the FAI hold over a club or individual in a club. If anything, some clubs and individuals appear to have taken advantage of the support the FAI and individuals were craving and canvassing for, to gain advantage for their club, while content to not ask questions.
They would hold the power to deny or withhold grants and other associated supports?
Absolutely. It's naive to believe the FAI have no or little power over clubs.
They (i.e. Delaney) also have the power to turn people against you - he'll clearly put it around, say, the Clare league that Joe Soap is the reason that grants have dried up. There'll be a scramble to screw Joe Soap over and praise Delaney so you can be the one to get the grants back.
I would imagine, like in the IFA and other national associations, little if any grants come out of their own pocket, but rather are monies being distributed from UEFA, Sports Ireland, etc pots. Any attempt to deny money entitled to clubs would have seen those and similar bodies impose sanctions on the FAI.