FAI chief Hill admits he could be seen as 'greedy' after payments furore

Jonathan Hill admits he realises why he could be labelled as ‘greedy’ for taking payment from the FAI against company policy.

The chief executive had to recently repay €12,000 worth of untaken holidays and €8,500 benefit in kind (BIK) tax liability after a Sports-Ireland commissioned audit by KOSI uncovered discrepancies in his remuneration package.

Employees have been aghast at the revelations, given they lose any holidays not taken by a certain cutoff point.

Hill and Roy Barrett, the former FAI Chairman who approved the payment, were grilled by delegates at today’s FAI annual general meeting in Stillorgan and the information remains sketchy.

Barrett was today succeeded by Tony Keohane, the former Tesco managing director, who was adamant that this type of scenario would not be repeated on his watch.

Asked if receiving this payment, on top of his €220,000 basic annual salary, left him open to accusations of being greedy, Hill said: "I can see that. I have spoken to that, I have addressed it, particularly with the staff. We had a very healthy situation with staff over the whole issue of holidays and ability of staff to take holidays because they are working so hard.

“I’ve apologised. I guess at a certain point I could have said, as I did actually say on a number of occasions, I'm just very happy to take these holidays forward into the next year and or indeed I could have just gone on holiday, in hindsight.

“I didn't go to anyone about (the payment). There was a conversation going on with another employee, who had exceptional circumstances in relation to holidays, and a discussion ensued in relation to myself. It was Roy and the then Finance Director who took that conversation forward.” 

Keohane, whose candidature