Rooney confident of appeasing Government

FAI chief executive Fran Rooney has said he hoped to address issues raised by the Government in relation to their funding of the organisation when he meets officials from the Department of Arts, Tourism and Sport on Wednesday.

Speaking yesterday at the Ireland team's hotel in Amsterdam, Rooney said he would also be talking to the Minister, John O'Donoghue, over the coming week or so and he insisted the association would be in a position to fully satisfy all of the Government's queries into the way the organisation uses the public money it is given.

Work is continuing on the replies to some of the queries raised but, said Rooney, "we're very close to being able to go back to them with absolutely everything they want."

Despite widespread reports to the contrary, and calls from some politicians for an investigation into the use of grants already provided to clubs, Rooney insisted that any queries he was aware of were of a general nature and that he had not been pressed on specific cases. He said he had spoken with several members of the Public Accounts Committee and none had raised any issue in relation to a specific club.

He also revealed the FAI were awaiting the outcome of an audit into their work carried out by the Sports Council at the association's invitation.

Rooney admitted that getting further Government funding released was an urgent priority and that it would remain so as new projects were initiated. It is intended that both capital and current spending would increase significantly over the coming years with, for example, the association having just made an official submission to the board of Campus Sports Ireland on the training centre it would like to establish, with the Government's help, at Abbotstown. The board met yesterday and the association is now awaiting its response.

With their long-awaited technical plan, which is due for launch on June 27th, also to be paid for there is, he observed, "a need for an almost endless supply of cash". Raising that money remained his primary objective, he said.

With that in mind, he confirmed that a new logo would be unveiled after the summer, probably between the friendly against Bulgaria and the opening World Cup qualifier against Cyprus. A new range of merchandise would follow soon afterwards, he said.

Rooney also mounted a major defence of the association's licensing scheme which has been in the news again after six clubs - Bohemians, Shelbourne, Cork City, St Patrick's Athletic, Waterford United and Longford Town - were awarded "A" licences. Previously only Derry City had achieved the higher grade of the two certificates available. He rejected claims that the system had been compromised or that UEFA was set to investigate the FAI's scheme.

"It is all independently administered and I believe that its integrity is beyond question," he said. "UEFA have looked at it already and said they are happy with it. Only today I have talked to them and they have made it clear they have no problems with our situation."

Both Waterford United and Longford Town got their licences with the proviso that they could not use their home grounds for European games yet as they did not meet the required standards.

Longford were told they had until June 30th to make the improvements needed at Flancare Park, after which UEFA would send a representative to make an inspection ahead of this year's club competitions.