FAI to initiate urgent talks as McCarthy's contract runs out

The FAI has conceded that it will have to begin fairly urgent talks with Mick McCarthy over the coming days after learning from the Ireland's manager's advisers that his contract runs out before the forthcoming World Cup play-offs.

The association's general secretary, Brendan Menton, said last night that he would have to check the terms of McCarthy's deal this morning but that he had no reason to doubt reports from those closely linked with the Ireland boss who made it known on Saturday evening that his employment is due to finish up at the end of October.

"I thought it might have been at the end of our involvement in the World Cup, to be honest, but I presume that if that's what they're saying then that's what the situation is," he said.

"If that's the case then obviously we are going to have to sit down and talk about it and so we'll have to look very quickly at when Mick is going to be back in Ireland or when might be a good time to sort things out."

Menton has long been a supporter of McCarthy and may well have favoured offering the manager another deal regardless of how Saturday's game against the Netherlands had gone.

He insists, however, that no talks have taken place within Merrion Square as to what might be done while it is not known whether McCarthy would want to stay on beyond the end of the current campaign.

"There are two parties involved here," said Menton, "and so we have to get everybody around a table together, but the most immediate question is whether we are going to be talking about a contract extension or a new contract. What Mick want will obviously go a long way towards deciding that."

McCarthy warmly praised the support he received from two other FAI officials, Pat Quigley and former general secretary Bernard O'Byrne, on Saturday when he said that the pair had stuck by him when there was "a posse" looking to undermine his position. He gave no indication, however, of whether he would stay in a job that is much less well paid than similar position at large British clubs.

The Ireland manager, who is believed to be earning between £150,000 and £200,000, was recently linked with the manager's job at Manchester City. After a period of rapidly rising levels of pay for managers in British football, such a job could easily bring with it a salary of £750,000.

The FAI, as it happens though, may well be in a position to give their man a hefty pay rise if they really want to keep him, for Menton estimates that qualification for the next summer's World Cup finals tournament could bring in between £5 million and £10 million.

"A great deal has changed since we were last at a major finals and there would a few unknown factors, but I don't think those sorts of figures would be unreasonable sorts of targets with final figure hopefully being closer to the top end of the scale."

Ironically, IMG, who Menton had many run ins with during his campaign to have Eircom Park abandoned, would be responsible for raising most of the anticipated revenue.

Clearly, nothing is certain yet, but in the wake of Saturday's memorable victory over The Netherlands at Lansdowne Road when Jason McAteer's goal, after Gary Kelly had been sent off, ensured a tremendous Irish win, McCarthy's team is at least guaranteed a place in November's qualification play-offs. There is also still a slight chance that McCarthy's side could qualify automatically for the finals although, after Portugal's 7-1 away defeat of Andorra on Saturday evening it would require both the Republic to beat Cyprus at home in the team's final game of the group stages and, more improbably, the Portuguese to drop points against either Cyprus this Wednesday or Estonia on October 6th.

Predictably, McCarthy didn't seem too concerned about the situation over the weekend with the Ireland manager claiming that he and his players still hope to win the group but are happy to settle for second place after being widely written off when the draw was made last year.

After Saturday's game he said that he was delighted with a "sweet" victory earned by "a very honest bunch of fellows".

He went on to pay a particularly warm tribute to the goalscorer, whose inability to get a game at Blackburn made his inclusion in the starting line up for The Netherlands look like a gamble.

"I'm delighted for him, he epitomised the work ethic in my team. He was magnificent out there today and if that lad can't get another club then I'll display my backside in Burton's window."

An emotional McAteer, in return, described McCarthy as "more than a manager to me, he's been a friend, who has always treated me with the respect that he felt I deserved".