FAI set to secure new men's team sponsor but Lee Carsley uncertainty remains

The FAI are planning a series of upbeat announcements, including a new sponsor, but the successful pursuit of Lee Carsley is less certain.

Jonathan Hill is due to face a second grilling by government representatives, this time the powerful Public Accounts Committee (PAC) on February 22, but the chief executive has some positive tidings for consumption in the run-up.

It’s understood the near four-year wait for a men’s team sponsor is finally over – with global payments firm Revolut in prime position to land the portfolio.

Last Thursday’s glamour draw for the only non-friendly fixtures this year – the Nations League group that includes the first competitive meetings with England for 33 years – spiked the attraction but the groundwork for this deal was already in train.

Hill has come under fire for the delay in securing a brand partnership, given the selling pitch for his appointment as John Delaney’s successor was a track record in commercial windfalls, particularly during his spell at the English FA.

His acceptance of payment for untaken holidays, contrary to the staff handbook and without the knowledge of board members bar former Chairman Roy Barrett, has also brought him under scrutiny.

PAC member Alan Dillon branded his explanation at Hill’s last to Leinster House in December as a "cock-and-bull story", insisting email trails must be furnished for the sequel to corroborate the supremo’s version of events.

During the interim, before Hill and others are in the public glare, the FAI have undertaken an internal probe on the matter which also includes a Benefit in Kind tax liability that was subsequently settled arising from an audit by accounting firm KOSI at the instruction of Sport Ireland.

It’s believed the