Bernard O'Byrne

The association's chief executive identified himself very strongly with the project from the outset, demonstrating his determination to see it through at virtually every meeting at which it was discussed for over two years. While O'Byrne has been credited with making the association more business-like in other areas, Eircom Park gradually came to overshadow everything. His chances of continuing in his current position are likely to come down to his ability to persuade officials from around the country that the windfall from the Government is in no small part down to his success in bringing Eircom Park as far as he did.

Brendan Menton

THE association's treasurer emerged as the leading critic of the scheme and played a key role in questioning the financial assumptions made in the various business plans produced for Eircom Park. His persistent claims that the original costings did not add up formed the basis for the initial public debate on whether the scheme should go ahead. The fact that his, rather than O'Byrne's, calculations turned out to be accurate in the final business plan had a damaging effect on the chief executive's credibility. Over the course of two years, Menton won increasingly enthusiastic support from the National League clubs and is likely to be their preferred candidate for O'Byrne's job in the event of a vacancy.

Pat Quigley

THE association's president was a long-time supporter of the project and of its main proponent, Bernard O'Byrne, to whom he is politically close. Like the chief executive, his background is outside of senior football and his links to the project helped to maintain the enthusiasm of backers from the junior and regional leagues long after the more high-profile National League outfits became convinced it could not work.

Des Casey

THE association's honorary secretary and the FAI's most prominent representative at UEFA level, he maintained a relatively neutral stance during much of the debate. Upset the project's critics early on at a key meeting when they felt he had promised to be more supportive. Subsequently played a key role in securing documentation for Menton which became the subject of threatened legal action.

John Delaney

The son of the association's former treasurer Joe, the Waterford United director has probably been the most outspoken critic of both Eircom Park and Bernard O'Byrne since the project's inception. Having played a central role in the abandonment of the stadium, he may now be the one to lead a push against the association's chief executive over the coming weeks.

John Byrne

A director of Galway United, Byrne's opposition to the project was originally put down by his opponents to his Fianna Fail connections. He maintained that it was solely based on his assessment of the scheme's viability and his conviction that the game would be better served by an alternative strategy. In recent weeks, though, it is his contacts with the Government that are believed to have been crucial to sorting out the broad outline of the current deal.