O'Byrne remains defiant

FAI chief executive Bernard O'Byrne has blamed the continuing "rumblings of discontent" over Eircom Park within the association on "a tiny minority" of the organisation's officials, and insisted they will not hinder the progress of the project.

Addressing a meeting of business people from Tallaght and surrounding areas organised by the South Dublin Chamber of Commerce, O'Byrne said the level of media coverage devoted to the internal resistance he has encountered recently was "one of the upshots of (the association) being an open, democratic and transparent organisation".

O'Byrne, who was the focus of the latest round of rumblings himself at the weekend when it emerged that he stands to receive a £250,000 bonus if Eircom Park is built, said he remains confident these problems will be overcome and the project completed as planned.

"Our priority at the moment is to answer the queries put to us by the council last week," he said, "after which we intend to go on and make our new home the jewel in the crown of South County Dublin."

Speaking at the same meeting, Diarmuid Crowley, of IMG, the sports management group advising the FAI on the project, said that despite the adverse publicity the amount of advance revenue being generated remains buoyant.

"To date £50.2 million has been raised, and in one day of last week alone we received almost £300,000 in cheques for 10-year seats. Normally," he added, "you would expect to make 10 per cent of your revenue prior to planning permission with a project like this, so the response has been phenomenal."

The figure for confirmed sponsorship revenues now stands at £24.5 million, while 54 of the 80 corporate boxes, priced at £250,000 each, have been sold to date, the meeting was told.

Meanwhile, club officials were prominent once again on this week's list of suspensions from the FAI, with Noel Kavanagh, who recently resigned as a director of Cork City, and Shamrock Rovers assistant manager Jimmy Jackson receiving fines and bans for their behaviour at recent games.

Kavanagh, who clashed with Kilkenny City goalkeeper Robbie Forde during the First Division team's FAI Cup match in Turner's Cross, has been fined £300 and although it is largely academic because of his resignation, he has been banned from the playing area for the rest of the season.

Jackson has been fined £100 and banned from the technical area for a month as a result of being reported for his behaviour during the defeat by Shelbourne.

Of the players suspended, Fergal Harkin, Dave Campbell and Michael Kerley all stand to miss their respective clubs' matches in the next round of the cup.

Player Suspensions (one match, effective from February 29th): Declan Daly (Cork City), Fergal Harkin (Finn Harps), Martin Beggs (Home Farm), Michael O'Donnell (UCD), Bernard Ball (Bohemians), Dave Campbell (Shelbourne), James O'Callaghan (Monaghan Utd), Michael Kerley (Kilkenny).