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

AGC

Starting a separate thread to the MON/Keane and Ireland team talk ones but mods feel free to merge if you think.

A lot of talk in all threads about Delaney and his role so I felt it deserves its own thread.

IMO he is the root and cause of a large percentage of what is wrong with Irish football. From his outrageous salary to his complete neglect of the game in this country and how he has treated the PFAI.

I am glad it is being highlighted more and more over the last few days and I hope it stays in the media and puts pressure on him to become a hell of a lot more accountable because at present he is on the gravy train.
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MOD Note: 15/09/2020: We have seen some recent posts that include accusations of ignoring alleged corrupt activity and protection offered by specific people or groups, this should not happen without evidence to back it up.

If you want to give your opinion do so, but accusations without evidence or sources are not acceptable.
https://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showpost.php?p=114621190&postcount=4916

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UPDATED Thread 13/10/20 for discussion re Champagne Football Virgin Media One 9pm 13-10-20

Champagne Football – Inside John Delaney’s FAI
Tuesday, Virgin One, 9pm
Virgin Media Sport’s Tommy Martin examines the scandals of John Delaney’s time in the FAI in a documentary based on the best-selling book by Mark Tighe and Paul Rowan.

MOD Note:
A couple of reminders:

- No Abuse is allowed in soccer, against anyone, the abuse rules do not only apply to football players/staff. Terms like conman could be viewed as abuse as it is a label on a person rather than a specific reference to soccer related actions.

- Please remember this is the soccer forum, you are welcome to talk about actions of a football person that can be referenced or a source offered. For example what a book claims, reporter said, tv programme showed etc.

No wild speculation is acceptable where potential legal matters or a private life are concerned, no ranting about such actions without cause, no abuse.

https://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showpost.php?p=114915150&postcount=4982

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howiya

irishgeo wrote: »

The fai paid his legal fees for his legal actions but JD kept all the compo. No wonder he was dishing out legal letters for fun.

Would that not be fairly normal?

If the issue arose out of a persons employment, I would expect the employer to protect them legally. Employer takes legal action, it gets settled, employer receives their legal expenses and the individual gets any compensation included in settlement.

The bit that isn't normal is how often solicitors letters have been issued by the FAI on Delaney's behalf and the culture of attempting to suppress any negative commentary.

Zebra3

If it was normal, it would be hard to imagine anyone making a big deal out of it.

Curious of the opinion of anyone with a legal background.

Salary Negotiator

howiya wrote: »

Would that not be fairly normal?

If the issue arose out of a persons employment, I would expect the employer to protect them legally. Employer takes legal action, it gets settled, employer receives their legal expenses and the individual gets any compensation included in settlement.

The bit that isn't normal is how often solicitors letters have been issued by the FAI on Delaney's behalf and the culture of attempting to suppress any negative commentary.

Expenses weren’t covered though.

Umaro

Zebra3 wrote: »

More for Revenue to get stuck in to.

Compensation isn't taxable afaik

howiya

Salary Negotiator wrote: »

Expenses weren’t covered though.

Both parties could have agreed to cover their own costs. If compensation is awarded to an individual that's who it should be paid to.

Where the wrong is, is that this individual would be in control of the FAI's legal team. And I've already alluded to that in my first post this morning.

Anyway I don't want to be seen to be getting into the realms of defending JD because I'm not so I'll leave it there.

Zebra3

Umaro wrote: »

Compensation isn't taxable afaik

If the FAI were footing the bill for legal action taken by Delaney over his private life, then that financial support may be liable to tax.

Be well and win

Delaney got paid 2 things, Pay in Lieu of notice which is fully taxable and a pension payment which probably won't be. After tax, from reading the papers over the week, he will have got around €50-€60k into his pockett and the bulk of the payments went into his pension pot, I'd be curious for the FAI to release the details of his pension scheme and when he can actually start drawing on it.

FixdePitchmark

this is fairly prophetic

https://www.independent.ie/sport/soccer/league-of-ireland/fai-will-debate-cutting-ties-with-gambling-firms-37224838.html

john Delaney on sponsorship

"Ultimately for the association - and this applies to a lot of sporting bodies - when you get that revenue, where does that revenue go? That's the key to me," he added."

artanevilla

FixdePitchmark wrote: »

this is fairly prophetic

https://www.independent.ie/sport/soccer/league-of-ireland/fai-will-debate-cutting-ties-with-gambling-firms-37224838.html

john Delaney on sponsorship

"Ultimately for the association - and this applies to a lot of sporting bodies - when you get that revenue, where does that revenue go? That's the key to me," he added."

I think there's a punctuation error there should read: "That's the key. To me."

twinytwo

DeanAustin wrote: »

But everyone has an excuse and no one gets held accountable.

Welcome to Ireland my friend, starts at the top with the politicians and works it way down. One of the most morally corrupt countries in the world.....Milk the gravy train as much as possible and no one takes responsibilty for anything.

Hopefully JD gets what's coming to him one way or the other.

tuxy

twinytwo wrote: »

Welcome to Ireland my friend, starts at the top with the politicians and works it way down. One of the most morally corrupt countries in the world.....Milk the gravy train as much as possible and no one takes responsibilty for anything.

Hopefully JD gets what's coming to him one way or the other.

Isn't Ireland reasonable normal when it comes to the corruption index. I think you mean that's how the world works and Ireland is about average when it comes to the western world.

irishgeo

JD must be liable for some BIK tax as he wasn't paying it on the fai paying his rent etc.

Zebra3

Did youse all see the bit in the ST today where Delaney was looking for two tickets to all future home internationals?

Sadly it was knocked back, but maybe we can chip in and get him a ticket for the next home game. :pac:

FixdePitchmark

Zebra3 wrote: »

Did youse all see the bit in the ST today where Delaney was looking for two tickets to all future home internationals?

Sadly it was knocked back, but maybe we can chip in and get him a ticket for the next home game. :pac:

I assume for himself.

He seems completely detached from reality.

no way on earth he is welcome, and if he did the welcome would be interesting.

this is a lad who tried to stop protest banners.

The guy is completely delusional and incredibly self absorbed.

Seth Brundle

FAI is at death’s door and only government intervention can save it

The FAI’s balance sheet brings its dire financial position into stark relief. It has total liabilities of €85 million, of which €62 million are due within one year. How is the FAI going to pay back these monies? It has no cash. It has non-current assets of €84 million, which look to me to be almost impossible to turn into cash to pay back the liabilities.

https://www.irishtimes.com/sport/soccer/fai-is-at-death-s-door-and-only-government-intervention-can-save-it-1.4108615

[Deleted User]

They'll never clear €85 million in 3 weeks.

I'm beginning to think Delaney's promise to be debt free by 2020 might not happen...

FixdePitchmark

[Deleted User] wrote: »

They'll never clear €85 million in 3 weeks.

I'm beginning to think Delaney's promise to be debt free by 2020 might not happen...

in fairness he called it spot on.

they will be broke up, insolvent, so debt free.

"man of vision" - quote Eamon Dunphy.

Any experts on here , know what happens if they are wrapped up.

might be good for Irish soccer?

new body , debt free. **** the banks, pay back time boys.

Father Hernandez

https://twitter.com/FAIreland/status/1203747641579970565?s=20

Joke of an organisation

salmocab

They’re like Anglo they think they are just going to be bailed out.

smelly sock

FixdePitchmark wrote: »

in fairness he called it spot on.

they will be broke up, insolvent, so debt free.

"man of vision" - quote Eamon Dunphy.

Any experts on here , know what happens if they are wrapped up.

might be good for Irish soccer?

new body , debt free. **** the banks, pay back time boys.

It would be similar to swim ireland id suggest. But yes. They should be let go to the wall and the tax payer should in no way have to foot a bill to bail them out. Start again. Keep anyone with any history of involvement with the FAI well away from any new organisation.

[Deleted User]

FixdePitchmark wrote: »

Any experts on here , know what happens if they are wrapped up...

If I was the Minister, I'd shrug my shoulders and tell the FAI that it's too late for meetings and all funding is gone. The new found interest in transparency and openness from an organisation that relied on locking out fans and journalists who suggested there might be problems is laughable. We all know they'd still be at it if they weren't caught.

If that means not fulfilling international fixtures, so be it, that can be Conway and Delaney's legacy. Even up to 2 months ago they were trying to strong arm the Minister with threats about FIFA sanctions.

The Minister should then sort a way of dealing directly with clubs about the League of Ireland.

[Deleted User]

Deleted User wrote: »

If I was the Minister, I'd shrug my shoulders and tell the FAI that it's too late for meetings and all funding is gone. The new found interest in transparency and openness from an organisation that relied on locking out fans and journalists who suggested there might be problems is laughable. We all know they'd still be at it if they weren't caught.

If that means not fulfilling international fixtures, so be it, that can be Conway and Delaney's legacy. Even up to 2 months ago they were trying to strong arm the Minister with threats about FIFA sanctions.

The Minister should then sort a way of dealing directly with clubs about the League of Ireland.

I get the feeling the government will want to protect the big event selfie fests above all though, so none of that will happen unfortunately. That’s all the sport is in this country now. I’d say we’ll see most of this current FAI in their jobs for many years to come.

topmanamillion

FixdePitchmark wrote: »

in fairness he called it spot on.

they will be broke up, insolvent, so debt free.

"man of vision" - quote Eamon Dunphy.

Any experts on here , know what happens if they are wrapped up.

might be good for Irish soccer?

new body , debt free. **** the banks, pay back time boys.

They won't be wound up. UEFA will bail them out to the extent they'll be able to operate on a shoe string budget.
The debts will be restructured over the next 50 odd years.
Forget about any major infrastructure projects or capital grants going footballs way for the next decade. It'll be all about servicing debt.
Maybe, UEFA will surprise me and let the FAI go to the wall. Ban us from the next World Cup and make a new Association apply for membership.
But there's a lot of bad publicity in that for them and if they were going to do that why would they advance €20 million + in loans to the FAI?

CrabRevolution

If the government were to bail them out, it'd have to be under some very strict conditions if not outright government control of the FAI, like the banks.

But presumably this would fall foul of the "No state interference" rules of FIFA.

I've seen it claimed a few times that the government withholding to the FAI amounted to state interference and hence was wrong. This makes no sense unless you also count the government giving the FAI money as "interference", which nobody does.

Oat23

sugarman wrote: »

I kind of hope they under.

Because either way its going to hit Irish football hard for a very long time.

If hey get bailed out of this... theres going to be serious cut backs at absolutely every department in every area of the game for decades...

If they go bust, they'll have to build from the ground up... but at least it will be from a clean slate and have some sort of chance to change.

Thats a risk and sacrifice id be willing take.

What should league clubs do over the next few weeks? When is the yearly registration fee of €19k expected to be paid? Clubs shouldn't pay that out only for the FAI to go bust in a few months.

I assume clubs must be discussing this with each other behind closed doors.

[Deleted User]

CrabRevolution wrote: »

If the government were to bail them out, it'd have to be under some very strict conditions if not outright government control of the FAI, like the banks.

But presumably this would fall foul of the "No state interference" rules of FIFA.

I've seen it claimed a few times that the government withholding to the FAI amounted to state interference and hence was wrong. This makes no sense unless you also count the government giving the FAI money as "interference", which nobody does.

By rights they should just wade in, clean house, and take the FIFA ban for the good of the sport in the long run.

FixdePitchmark

Honestly, let them go.

By the way , I'd like to suggest the excess was down across the full organisation.

Want to see the set up mens' international team has as shown in recent match day programme

Let it go
Staff go
Debt go

And allow great people in league of Ireland star a new organisation.

We probably would not be able to get rights to fifa games fof a while .

But this is a possible watershed moment.

start afresh.

By the way there are way more staff in the FAI that facilitated this .
This big bad guy Delaney does not hold water fully.

His birthday party
His spending
Wages
Tax compliance
Audits

The whole set up was poison and people knew it down to the floor.

CrabRevolution

ReginaldSmythV wrote: »

I get the feeling the government will want to protect the big event selfie fests above all though, so none of that will happen unfortunately. That’s all the sport is in this country now. I’d say we’ll see most of this current FAI in their jobs for many years to come.

I'm not so sure. I think even the most out of touch politicians realise how desperately unpopular the FAI is. To be seen handing over money to save an organisation which has been so badly managed for years, and which considered* itself untouchable probably wouldn't go down well. How many messages have we seen like "Normally can't stand Shane Ross, but he's dead right on this one to hold the FAI to account"

*They still consider themselves untouchable really, just look at the "We're ready to meet and discuss how much free money you will be giving us to sort out the mess we made" tweet to Shane Ross above.

Oat23 wrote: »

What should league clubs do over the next few weeks? When is the yearly registration fee of €19k expected to be paid? Clubs shouldn't pay that out only for the FAI to go bust in a few months.

I assume clubs must be discussing this with each other behind closed doors.

The clubs should run a licensing process for the FAI, then reject the League as it won't be able to prove it can meet its financial commitments for the year.

FixdePitchmark

Oat23 wrote: »

What should league clubs do over the next few weeks? When is the yearly registration fee of €19k expected to be paid? Clubs shouldn't pay that out only for the FAI to go bust in a few months.

I assume clubs must be discussing this with each other behind closed doors.

Nobody would fault the clubs fof not throwing money into a hole of the FAI.

The ramifications of it all are only becoming clearer by the day / week.

We probably do deserve a FIFA ban , we the public facilitated this as we knew he was as dodge as ****.

topmanamillion

Oat23 wrote: »

What should league clubs do over the next few weeks? When is the yearly registration fee of €19k expected to be paid? Clubs shouldn't pay that out only for the FAI to go bust in a few months.

I assume clubs must be discussing this with each other behind closed doors.

Good point.
The four clubs that played in Europe last summer are due €2 million + which will be paid by UEFA to the FAI next summer when the European competitions are finished.

You would hope the league prize money, affiliation fees and European money is all ring fenced for LOI clubs. But who knows what will happen to it. Clubs should really be raising that issue with UEFA and looking for them to guarantee that money.