John Delaney at the FAI Thread - (Mod Notes in OP)

Beechwoodspark wrote: »

Dunphy on RTÉ again saying he doesn’t think it’s that big a deal.

He humming and hawing hesitating about what to say.

OldMrBrennan83 wrote: »

Exactly, you should be able to cancel online. The fact they're going through the extra expense of having people phone up just means they'll try to give you the run-around. I'd pay for it no problem but I'd like the freedom to be able to cancel 6, 12, 14, etc months down the line whenever I'd like. Luckily I just copped it before I submitted the payment.

major bill wrote: »

There has to be a business cause you can’t just use Company card for anything, he will try worm around it saying he was dining clients or something

sugarman wrote: »

Credit card fiasco aside, I think this Independent article is the closest explanation of the €100k loan to date and it appears there are serious cash flow issues within the FAI. As in the €100k was actually needed on top of their €1.5m overdrafts to keep the FAI afloat.

https://www.independent.ie/irish-news/news/second-club-had-problems-securing-fai-prize-cash-and-grants-38012760.html

This article is interesting too

http://https://www.independent.ie/sport/soccer/international-soccer/new-concerns-raised-around-fai-in-protected-disclosure-including-questions-about-john-giles-foundation-38012763.html

On Tuesday, 25 April 2017 we had an internal finance meeting at the FAI. This meeting was attended by our director of finance, Mr. Eamon Breen, our financial controller Ms Yvonne Tsang, and me as the CEO. At this meeting I was advised that if all cheques and FAI bank transfers issued to third parties at that time were presented for payment that the FAI would exceed its overdraft limit of €1.5 million on its bank accounts, which were held with Bank of Ireland. I expressed concern and surprise at the meeting as to how the FAI could have arrived at this position. I recall thinking at the time that if I had been approached even a few days earlier I may have been able to better address the issue. I asked if any funds were due to the FAI that could resolve the matter and I was informed that there was nothing due imminently that could be confirmed at that stage.

As the matter was pressing and we only had a few hours to resolve the potential issues that would arise if the bank overdraft limit was exceeded, as a precautionary measure and to assist the FAI I wrote a cheque for €100,000 from my personal account to the FAI. This cheque was made payable to the FAI and I gave it to our director of finance, Eamon Breen, telling him to only lodge the cheque if it became clear that the bank overdraft was going to be exceeded.

Later that afternoon I travelled to London and the next day I travelled on to Geneva, Switzerland, where I was attending UEFA business on behalf of the FAI. I recall phoning our honorary secretary, Mr. Michael Cody informing him that I had made a precautionary payment to the FAI by way of a personal cheque for €100,000 to assist in the event that the bank overdraft was going to be exceeded. I informed him that I was very concerned and that I had to act quickly to assist the Football Association of Ireland. I recall also informing the then president Mr. Tony Fitzgerald who was chairman of the board at the time.

The following day while I was in Geneva I received a call from our director of finance, Eamon Breen, informing me that there was a requirement to lodge the cheque by €100,000 and he subsequently confirmed that request to me by email. I agreed that the cheque should be lodged. I asked the director of finance when I would be paid back and he said it would be as soon as the funds came in.

I subsequently received a cheque for €100,000 on 16 June 2017 from the Football Association of Ireland, repaying the amount in full and which I lodged to my personal account on 23 June 2017. I did not receive any interest payment and I would never have expected it. I was only acting to assist the FAI and for the benefit of Irish football.

I recall asking the director of finance, Eamon Breen, if the FAI had any reporting or disclosure obligations arising out of the €100,000 payment. There was a board meeting on Monday, 19 June 2017 and the €100,000 payment did not arise.

The value of the consolation prize was €3m for falling at the final Champions League hurdle and a €2.6m Europa League group stage participation fee. UEFA payment dates released by their spokesperson show that the participation fee was paid out on October 7, 2016.

Dundalk were also due prizemoney for progressing through the early stage Champions League rounds, and won a further €480,000 on the pitch in the Europa League group stages.

Well-placed sources have indicated that Dundalk received close to €3m in the final months of 2016 with the substantial balance to be settled in 2017.

It is understood that Dundalk's then owners - businessmen Andy Connolly and Paul Brown - were keen on an arrangement where the FAI would hold onto the European money and then release it upon request in the form of staggered payments.

According to one FAI source, they "got the money when they asked for it." This claim is not disputed by Dundalk insiders with a knowledge of the relationship.

The drip feed became a problem when Dundalk were approached in the latter half of 2017 by an American consortium led by investment company Peak6.

Dundalk earned close to €7m from a Europa League run under Stephen Kenny, and were keen on an arrangement where the FAI paid them in instalments upon request. Uefa confirmed that all performance-related payments were paid out by mid-January 2017.

The Irish Independent understands that a representative from the League of Ireland champions contacted Mr Delaney on March 29, 2017, to say they needed €300,000 to pay for the upgrade of their artificial pitch and other bills.

Mr Delaney replied saying the FAI would pay Dundalk €300,000 on April 12 if that was acceptable.

Dundalk responded on March 30 to assert that they required a quicker payment.

That was followed up by an email from Mr Breen, who advised that - on foot of the correspondence with Mr Delaney - the association was processing a €25,000 same-day transfer to the Louth club.

Dundalk's next payment was another €25,000, which came through on April 13.

They then received €100,000 on April 21, four days before Mr Delaney wrote a €100,000 cheque to his employer.

After sending another request to Mr Breen on April 26, Dundalk's then owners were correctly told they would get the remaining €150,000 via a transfer on April 28.

Mr Delaney this week told an Oireachtas hearing he was surprised by the extent of the cash-flow problems, when advised at an internal finance meeting on April 25 that the FAI would exceed a €1.5m overdraft limit if all cheques and bank transfers issued were presented for payment.