FAI nominations deadline scratched after fractious board meeting

A stormy FAI board meeting has concluded with a decision to extend the nominations deadline in the hope of meeting gender balance targets among directors.

The vote of President Gerry McAnaney proved pivotal in a 6-5 outcome to rip up the original closing date of last Thursday week for applications.

The FAI’s 11-person board currently has four females, one shy of the target of five set by the Government by the end of the year.

Sports Minister Thomas Byrne has indicated up to half their funding allocation could be withheld for any sporting body that fails to comply with the 40% female presence at the top table.

Last week’s deadline passed with outgoing Vice-President Paul Cooke challenged by Joe O’Brien for the President’s seat, with John Finnegan unopposed for the Vice-President role.

Dave Moran is to return to represent the amateur chamber while Nixon Morton shrugged off competition from Paul Walsh in an election to become the national bodies representative.

Schoolboys/girls rep Tom Browne is also due to return at the scheduled AGM on October 21, expanding the board to the original complement of 12.

All of that has been thrown into doubt by the reaction of Chairman Roy Barrett. He has led the charge for reaching the quota, vowing in January to vacate his seat to assist. Efforts to source a female successor for the Chair through the nominations committee have so far been unsuccessful.

Barrett last week conveyed his displeasure at the lack of contribution from the football side in correspondence to colleagues and got his way at an emergency meeting called on Sunday night. Stephen Kenny’s position as Ireland manager was not on the agenda.

Minister Byrne, speaking two months ago at the Women’s World Cup in Australia,