TDs waiting to grill FAI officials at Thursday morning’s Public Accounts Committee (PAC) are extremely annoyed that the association failed to submit their opening statement by the deadline set.
Despite this summit before the Dáil’s committee being flagged in November, the FAI not only postponed the initial date of February 1 but unsuccessfully sought a second adjournment late last week.
Protocol for these statutory events decrees requested information is submitted in advance to allow deputies frame their questions.
The opening statement was due in by 9.30am on Wednesday and its delay evokes memories of a spat that erupted in July when Ryan Tubridy angered the committee by issuing his input on the morning of the hearing.
The FAI lodged most of their pack over the past day, including an explanation of how they disbursed €33.7m in Covid-19 resilience funding during the pandemic and audit results for two of those three years.
There was also a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) update and where they stand on the €7.63m interest-free loan granted at the same time in 2000 to cover three years of annual licensing costs for the Lansdowne Road stadium. In the case of the latter, the loan remains unpaid, forming part of their €44m debt.
They also provided an explanation upon request about the abandoned Glanmire Project.
What was promised during the John Delaney era as a Munster centre for excellence late last year fell victim to the financial crisis of 2019 – a decision they ‘didn’t take lightly’.
What the update does declare is a desire to redirect the €2m state grant from that concept into an alternative venture.
“We are keen to collaborate with an educational facility in the area to cluster sporting facilities realising
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