FAI delegation to attend Oireachtas committee meeting

The Football Association of Ireland (FAI) has reversed its decision to defer their attendance at a Joint Oireachtas Committee meeting and a delegation will now attend at Leinster House tomorrow, RTÉ News understands.

On Friday the FAI indicated that they were withdrawing from their appearance in front of the committee which was to discuss safeguarding procedures in the sport.

The FAI said they were concerned that questioning from the committee might prejudice an ongoing garda investigation into allegations of abuse of female footballers by male coaches in the 1990s.

They added that the committee's decision to invite another three FAI employees as part of the delegation gave them further reason to doubt the committee's intentions.

One of those employees, former Ireland Women's team manager Eileen Gleeson wrote to the committee yesterday apologising for her non-attendance saying she had received a "directive" from her employer who told her it would be "wholly inappropriate to attend the committee in any capacity in circumstances where the FAI will not be in attendance".

Ms Gleeson is currently taking legal action against the association alleging discrimination during her time as Women's National Team Head Coach.

Minister for Sport Patrick O'Donovan led the political response, telling RTÉ News that non-attendance was not an option for an organisation in receipt of significant taxpayers funds.

Committee chairman Alan Kelly TD said he hoped the minister's stance would encourage the FAI to review their position.

The original FAI delegation was to include the President Paul Cooke, Chairman Tony Keohane, CEO David Courell and the People and Culture director Aoife Rafferty.

Also invited to appear before the committee were three additional witnesses, Ms Gleeson who was previously Head of Women's and Girls' Football and current head of research and insights; Kirsten Pakes, the FAI's head of safeguarding; and Gareth Maher, the head of media for the FAI women's team.

Minister O'Donovan said that there were a massive range of issues that supporters and proponents of Irish football around the country would like to see trashed out in Oireachtas committee, and that it is not unreasonable that with the FAI being so heavily resourced by the State, for the representatives of the State to be able to ask questions.

A Memorandum of Understanding between the Government and the FAI was renewed last December guaranteeing the association almost €6 million per annum.

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