Cult of Stephen Kenny

If you think 216k amounts to overpaying a CEO then I don’t know what you expect a CEO of a company in Ireland with a staff of at least a 100 to work for.

it’s also interesting to note that the CEO’s staff is capped so he could not receive any bonuses for attracting sponsors to the FAI or the senior team.

so the government has placed a salary restriction on the CEO that amounts to offering no incentive to do his job well. It’s kind of counter productive.

He was paid an additional €20k in order to move here for the job on top of his base salary. He didn't move here.

Although in fairness to him it looks like he wasn't at fault for this oversight. And it's likely to be clawed back as well.

It does however show a stunning lack of awareness by the FAI regarding their finances and their financial dealings. When you're being bailed out to the tune of €50m, and the lads bailing you out are demanding better control over your finances, the one thing you should be doing your best to do is avoiding giving members more money than they're due.

Maybe the reason there's strict restrictions on pay is because they can't govern their own finances?

No, you are wrong. he wasn’t paid 20k to move here. That’s not the issue.

It was benefit in kind for commuting expenses and being paid for holidays not taken.

the issue is he was paid more than allowed by the agreement with the government for their bail out. He can’t get more than 216000. Hence it appears he can’t get performance related bonuses, hence he may have little incentive to meet stretch KPIs such as getting a sponsor for the men’s national team. Hence a situation that could be accurately described as counterproductive .

I stand corrected. Sort of.

If the terms of his position means no payments exceeding an agreed amount as set out by a bailout, then anything additional would not be allowed. Which in any terms, is a stupid oversight by those in charge of the FAI's finances given their bailout, not least in the wake of them being viewed as a financial black whole and corrupt enterprise.

And not for nothing, if he knew the terms of his position before he took it, he can have no excuse for not doing the job, lack of bonuses/payments etc. And at the very least, it should not take three years to secure a sponsor for the flagship team, which should be a basic job for a sports CEO.

I'd argue that you shouldn't need additional 'financial motivation' to do a job which you're already very well paid to do. Hill was talked up as the former commercial director of the FA in the UK when he was appointed. Failure to secure a sponsor should reflect very poorly on him, regardless of whether it was one of his primary responsibilities. I'd ask what has he done in his over 3 years in charge? And I would also question if his track record in the job would give anyone confidence that he's the best person to recruit the next manager.

Do people really think 216k is big money for a CEO?

look at what the GAA pay their entire executive. For a lower / easier job.

https://www.offtheball.com/football/gaa-executive-pay-croke-park-averaged-e125845-2019-965684#:~:text=It%20reveals%20there%20are%2014,14%20is%20€125%2C%20845.

Sorry if off topic and I am only a casual observer, but if the FAI Cup Final can bring in 45k fans, which is fantastic by the way, what is it that holds back the regular attendances?

Am I right in saying the finalists would only average about 5k per game?

I know a cup final always gives a bump in numbers, but 45k is a lot of fans!

What more could be done to uplift the LoI attendances?

Thanks.

So stadium capacity is reached and there are no funds to expand it?

Thabks. It does seem like some community govt funding wouldnt go a miss.

But FAI gets that investment and up to it how to channel it. I know in Delaneys day LOI was neglected.

Ferguson only seems to get injured just before international breaks and recovers just in time for the club games again. This is the 3rd in 3 months.

The GAA aren’t up to their eyeballs in debt.

Yes, huge salaries bandied around the place alright, €250,000 to Robbie Keane for sitting at home.

Also €100,000 being paid every month to Sports Direct !