FAI to hold fundraiser for former star Langan

SOME 21 years after he last played for his country, the FAI will hold a fundraising dinner for Dave Langan, the former Derby County, Birmingham City and Oxford United full-back whose career was ended prematurely by injury. The event will take place at the Burlington Hotel on October 11th.

The Dubliner won 26 caps for Ireland and played four times in the country's first successful qualification campaign, for the European Championships in 1988, only to miss out on Jack Charlton's squad for the finals because of worsening knee problems.

Since retiring from the game, he has had a succession of health and personal difficulties and secured his current job, with Peterborough council in England, in part because it has a policy of reserving some vacancies for applicants with disabilities.

"I have had three major operations on my spine. I've had a disc taken out, I had the vertebrae fused and I had two nuts and bolts put in, but they had to be taken out after two years. They can give you an epidural but they can only give you so many.

"I've also had nine operations on my left knee and I could do with a new knee joint but the doctor won't do it because of my age and because they only last for six years.

"I could get it done a second time but that would last for only six years and then I would have to get the leg off so they're delaying it as long as possible."

By last year, things had reached the point where Langan, though working, was homeless and sleeping in a store-room at the town hall.

"The lads were helping me out by bringing me food and taking my clothes away to be washed but I wouldn't come to the game in March (every former international was invited by the association to the first game at Croke Park) because I was suffering from depression and couldn't face it."

When council officials became aware of his sleeping arrangement he had to move out but with their help he became aware of his legal rights while at the same time the Irish Professional Footballers Education and Support Trust provided help. Since then he has met and married Dawn, who will be travelling to Dublin with him for next month's fundraiser.

"I can't believe it's going to happen," he says, "because it's been such a long time. I got very emotional because I didn't realise that people still thought of me but there have been letters and phone calls to the town hall and people were ringing my mother as well.

"We have had tremendous support from the FAI and Trust Fund too and I'm hugely grateful to everyone."

Details of the event are available at fai.ie and from the FAI's Julie O'Leary at 01 899 9514.

Speaking at the function where details of the fundraiser were revealed, the FAI chief exectutive, John Delaney, said he had received assurances from Langan's former international team-mate Liam Brady, who is now Giovanni Trapattoni's assistant in the national team set-up, that he has not acted as a consultant to Arkaga, the company that ran Cork City prior to the club going into examinership.

Brady's legal representatives have written to at least four newspapers threatening action over articles published recently and suggesting he had advised the company in relation to the club, but Delaney insists he is satisfied with the Dubliner's denial of the claim.

"Liam has told me he has neither been a consultant of any kind to Arkaga or Cork City Football Club," said Delaney.

"We fully accept that, I know that now it's in the legal arena and after that I'm not going to comment any more, because it's in the legal arena.

"The matter of contention," he added, "is between Liam Brady, his solicitors and the individual newspapers."