Delaney focused on getting more tickets

INTERNATIONAL NEWSTHE FAI chief executive, John Delaney, has expressed satisfaction with the decision to move next week's game between Georgia and the Republic of Ireland to Mainz and revealed the association has sought to secure more than half the tickets available for the game from its counterpart in Tbilisi.

"I always felt the game would not be played in Georgia and we worked hard in the background with Uefa, Fifa and the Georgian Football Federation (GFF) to get the game moved," Delaney said yesterday.

"Thankfully it's sorted out now, although not as quickly as it should have been from the fans' point of view."

Delaney added the team hotel had been booked and access to a suitable training ground secured, and said attention was now focused on obtaining tickets for as many as possible of the Irish supporters hoping to travel.

"We've looked for 6,500 tickets from the Georgian FA," he said. "That proposal is with them.

"The most important people to look after first are the 1,000 (Ireland supporters) we expected to be in Georgia. They're the people who follow us everywhere.

"But we'd like to have more tickets. The GFF could take the line that, well, you're only getting 10 per cent of capacity, but I'd be hopeful that they wouldn't take that line."

Soaring prices for flights to the German airports offering easy access to Mainz - most notably nearby Frankfurt - have provided an indication of the keen interest among Irish supporters in a game that is now a more straightforward travel proposition than before.

Asked, however, if it might have been more reasonable in the circumstances to allow the Georgians postpone the game, Delaney insisted the change of venue had been necessary.

"It was hard enough to get a deal in Sofia (at the group fixtures meeting) but if their two home games in October had been postponed too then there would have been real problems because there's very few gaps left," he explained.

"Reversing the fixtures wasn't an option either because we wouldn't have had the use of Croke Park so the best compromise really was to go to a neutral venue."

Ireland's rivals for qualification may feel the decision to move the game has handed Giovanni Trapattoni's side an unfair advantage but, insists Delaney, the location for Georgia's remaining home games will depend on the political situation in the country.

"I've spoken to all the top people in Fifa at the highest level about this over the last couple of weeks. Their view is very simple: they'll take each game on a case-by-case basis."

Delaney was speaking at a press conference to confirm a new sponsorship deal with Boylesports, who become the "betting partner" of the association.

"The sponsorship deal is linked to the international team and the League of Ireland," said Delaney, who added that the league's clubs would benefit most directly from the advertising boards that will go into grounds.

"It's one of a number of deals we are doing at the moment that will benefit the League of Ireland," he said.

The sponsorship will run for an initial two-year period and will entail an option to renew for a further two.

Over the full four years, the company's investment would, it is believed, run to around €1 million.

There had been rumours Boylesports might take over the role of title sponsor to the league but, it is reported, talks with Eircom are continuing and it remains possible the telecommunications company, which is widely reported to be up for sale, will extend its current deal with the association and continue its backing of the senior domestic game.