Longford Leader columnist Mattie Fox: Something very wrong with how the FAI operated

The official who opened the meeting began by saying that he was the one responsible for the lateness of the meeting - over half an hour late - and explained the “I was late” then mumbled something about that “not being a surprise....” as though it was a regular occurrence.

This writer could not believe the shambolic beginning to the meeting. The screen from which he was reading, was beyond his capacity to operate and had to call on some helper or “technician” to try and get that working. We could hear mumbling, sometimes audible, while Paul Cooke who was supposed to open the meeting became more and more flustered.

In fairness he remained remarkably calm. It seemed to emerge that the operator or helper couldn’t operate the screen properly either. Cooke tried to read from some screen further away, but couldn’t. Eventually he was given a large spreadsheet from which he was expected to read.

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If the FAI had decided to portray an amateur organisation, then they succeeded. I can only comment on one club (Gaelic) with whom I am familiar, and my local club, is always, on the occasions I attend, way ahead of the FAI in terms of transparency and reporting properly.

In Croke Park, where I attended a few meetings, I can only say that if the FAI ever want lessons on how to run a meeting, they might attend Croke Park. I could offer opinions, and indeed facts, about the FAI but it wouldn’t be fair to good soccer people I know too well.

I’ve never been to local soccer games, so don’t propose to comment on anything financial to do with the FAI. But I know enough to realise that there was something very wrong with how the organisation operated.

Scandal, would not be too strong a word. We haven’t heard the half of it yet.

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