Rovers officials to meet FAI

Shamrock Rovers officials will meet the FAI before the end of the week to discus the irregularities that have arisen in connection with the application made late last year for a licence for the current season. However, leading members of the main supporters' organisation working to save the club played down any suggestion yesterday they might effectively be penalised for the sins of the outgoing regime.

The FAI wrote to the club last week seeking an explanation for the fact audited accounts for 2003 were resubmitted by the Rovers board for 2004. Details of this letter were provided to the court during a hearing on Monday connected with the club's examinership.

On the basis of what happened, the club could potentially be stripped of its licence to participate in the Eircom League, and the examiner, Neil Hughes, has been told to report back to the court if the FAI indicate they intend to take that course of action.

Privately, however, members of the 400 Club, the fan-based organisation that is paying most of the bills while attempts are made to put together a long-term plan for the club, are critical of the association's role in the process and maintain several attempts were made to draw the attention of senior Merrion Square officials to problems with the accounts submitted which were, they insist, obviously flawed.

Asked about the situation yesterday, the club's new public relations officer, Dave Carpenter, settled for suggesting the FAI might want to "review its own procedures".

"Anything that was submitted as part of the licensing process would have been there for the FAI to review," he said.

"If they didn't notice that something as significant as this was amiss then I think they might need to look at the way they do things."

Carpenter expressed continuing confidence that a plan will be put together over the coming weeks to secure the long-term future of the troubled club. He said "six or seven" parties had expressed an interest in taking over Rovers, with some of the potential investors coming from abroad.

Among the locals who are rumoured to have been in contact with the examiner are Umbro Ireland boss John Courtenay, the former owner of Carlisle United, who was previously in talks to buy Rovers, and ex-manager Liam Buckley, who put a proposal for a takeover to the members of the board shortly before being dismissed by them last year.

Recently-resigned FAI chief executive Fran Rooney is also said to have expressed an interest in becoming involved.

The 400 Club, which will hold a public meeting at the Edmund Burke Theatre in Trinity College next Wednesday at 7.30 to discuss their role in the development of the club, is, meanwhile, attempting to drum up support for this Friday's game against Cork City, the club's first "home" match since the examinership began.

Family-orientated activities will be organised before and during the game, while special buses are being run to bring the club's younger supporters to Dalymount Park from Tallaght.

Further events being planned include an open day with the current squad at its new training ground, the AUL, on Saturday week, and a "Legends" dinner on October 29th in Jury's Hotel.

"Nothing much had changed in the time I'd been at the club before the 400 Club became involved," said club skipper Trevor Molloy yesterday. "It's always been a bit of a mess. But the last few weeks have been great. We've been paid on time, the new training facilities are excellent and, while I'm not saying you just play the game for the money, I think you saw the results in Derry (where Rovers won 3-2) on Friday night."