FAI CEO John Delaney enveloped by veil of silence

First the good news . . . there is nothing in John Delaney’s introduction to the FAI’s newly released five-year Strategic Plan about the organisation becoming more accountable or transparent. This is a relief because after deciding to invite only representatives of their “media partners” to the launch of the document, a slip-up on that front might have had them digging out the phone number of whoever it was that shredded all those programmes for the Scotland game last year.

On that occasion, Delaney's piece for the programme included the following: "I have stated many times that the global body needs to adapt the attitude of accountability and transparency which has been cultivated in Uefa under the leadership of Michel Platini and I hope that Fifa can take similar steps in the right direction."

Now, we know enough to laugh at the idea of the Frenchman – who had a verbal agreement with Sepp Blatter to be paid €1.35 million on top of his wages for some consultancy, and got the money – being held up as a champion of accountability and transparency.

Back then, the problem was that shortly after the programme had been sent to the printers it had emerged that Delaney himself had done a secret deal with Blatter worth €5 million to the association. It was widely regarded as humiliating and hypocritical but Delaney subsequently said his only regret was not asking for more.

Television interview

The handful of journalists who cover soccer in this country were keen to chat with the Irish game’s leading administrator about that one. But, aside from a television interview in which his comments were completely at odds with the contents of the legal document he was supposed to be discussing, the 48-year-old never seemed to be up for taking questions.

Nor has he spoken to reporters about the night he entertained a large crowd at a lock-in around the corner from Lansdowne Road a few hours after an international game with a rendition of a song about an IRA hunger striker.

When a video of the incident appeared on the internet, media organisations in Dublin and London were told it was not Delaney and any claim to the contrary would result in legal action.

The man who made at least some of those threats and later took the rap for the programme pulping was subsequently promoted but Delaney still hasn’t faced a room of people whose job description includes scrutinising the way he does his job to explain that or anything else.

In fact, he hasn’t done an actual press conference to which any and every soccer reporter could go for more than three years, preferring instead to pick when and by whom he is questioned and often declining to take any at events after sizing up who has turned up from the media.

None of which is intended to suggest that it requires a soccer correspondent to successfully hold him to account. The story of the €5 million, after all, emerged over the course of two interviews on RTÉ radio in which two interviewers with no particular interest in the sport simply provided him with the rope required for Delaney to hang himself.

He probably would have welcomed the opportunity to have a wider audience for Friday’s event – the launch of a strategic plan would normally be viewed as a good news story to be publicised – but then he would have realised that the questioning could never at this stage be kept to the matter at hand.

Reasonable document

If that was his thinking then he is almost certainly correct. Although we can’t be sure that it was as a spokesman has since declined to answer any questions on the matter.

As for the plan itself, it seems a reasonable document. It is on the vague side for the most part but impressive in places and underwhelming in others. The line about refinancing the association’s debt so as to cut the interest being paid is interesting given the way the current deal was portrayed in public as a triumph when it was negotiated in late 2013.

Some of the targets seem low, certainly by comparison with the ones set by the Irish Football Association for themselves last year, but maybe they are simply more realistic. In fact, many aspects of the content raise questions. If only there had been the opportunity to ask someone for answers.

In one of the couple of interviews he did actually agree to, meanwhile, Delaney confirmed that, with Platini prevented from running by a ban, he will support Gianni Infantino in next month's Fifa presidential election. He also said that 400 additional tickets have been secured for each of the three Euro2016 games and that fees and bonuses for the tournament have been agreed with the players.