Almost €7m for FAI withheld until payments to chief executive addressed

FAI funding from Government of €6.8 million has been withheld until erroneous payments to chief executive Jonathan Hill are addressed fully, the Minister of State for Sport Thomas Byrne has told Seanad Éireann.

This includes a special €500,000 for the women’s game in recognition of Katie McCabe’s side qualifying for the World Cup in Australia.

Mr Byrne told the Seanad that grants required to keep the debt-ridden sports body functioning have ceased. However, he hopes the issue can be resolved soon.

“At the moment there’s a sum of €6.8 million outstanding to the FAI from Sport Ireland for general funding including a special allocation made this year of €500,000 for women in sport funding in response to Ireland qualifying for their first ever World Cup. And we want to get that money to the FAI as soon as possible,” said Mr Byrne.

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The FAI accounts for 2022 report borrowings of €50.9 million.

Mr Hill “apologised unreservedly” to FAI staff last week after erroneously receiving more than €20,000 in travel expenses and pay in lieu of holidays. Mr Hill, who lives in London, agreed to repay the amount in full and now covers his own travel expenses for regular commutes to Dublin.

However, Sport Ireland and the association remain in detailed discussions to achieve full compliance with the memorandum of understanding (MoU), signed by former FAI chairman Roy Barrett and then minster for sport Shane Ross, to secure a government bailout of €30 million in January 2020.

Since 2020, the FAI has received €60.1 million in State funding, including a €33.7 million Covid-19 grant, with an additional €7.4 million paid on behalf of the association to cover the Aviva Stadium licence fee.

“I do want to acknowledge that the FAI have signalled their willingness to implement the recommendations set out in the audit,” added Mr Byrne. “To be fair to the FAI, they’ve implemented almost everything in the memorandum of understanding and I do want to say that it’s about 95 per cent and that’s really, really important. We’re just working things through in the department in terms of the FAI’s response, but it is certainly my intention to be able to finalise this matter relatively soon.

“I think it is important to remember that the FAI at the moment is getting double the funding than it would ordinarily get because of the memorandum of understanding and additionally, up to last year, we were also paying essentially the rent or the payment that’s due on the Aviva and that’s not continuing.

“We want to make sure that the FAI can go on their own two feet. It’s quite likely that there will be a continuation of the MoU passed next year if the FAI needed and want it.”