In conversation with Marian Finucane on RTÉ Radio One Football Association of Ireland CEO John Delaney elaborated on the FAI’s decision not to sanction Limerick FC’s proposed friendly with Spanish giants FC Barcelona. Delaney labelled Limerick FC officials as “naive” while he also suggested that the club had no agreement in place to bring FC Barcelona to Thomond Park on July 31.
Limerick FC have refuted this allegation and presented Leader Sport with a copy of the heads of agreement contract between FC Barcelona and the Airtricity League club.
In a detailed interview (see page 23) Limerick FC CEO Pat O’Sullivan has told Leader Sport that the Airtricity League club will not take the FAI’s refusal to sanction the friendly with FC Barcelona at Thomond Park “lying down” - it is estimated that the game could have benefited the local economy to the tune of €10 million.
“I think Limerick have acted very naively in the whole situation and I’ll tell you why,” FAI CEO John Delaney explained on RTÉ Radio One.
“Noel Mooney, who works for the FAI, spoke to the owner of Limerick on Thursday morning and explained to him that we couldn’t grant the game, that we are contractually bound to other people and that we weren’t able to grant the game. I would love to have the game played in Limerick. I have nothing against Limerick.”
John Delaney also said that the FAI were contractually bound to a third party in terms of arranging friendly games involving Irish clubs.
“We would have a relationship in terms of the organisation of friendlies coming into Ireland and there are certain games that we can grant and certain games that we cannot grant in terms of attendance figures,” John Delaney said.
“So, we explained that to Limerick on Thursday morning and they accepted that. The owner of Limerick Football Club accepted that position and he said that would be the end of the matter. Unfortunately then they started issuing statements on Thursday night and they have tried to, I suppose, bring it into the public arena to put public pressure on us.
“We’re unable to grant it that’s the bottom line. We were negotiating with Barcelona to come to Dublin next year.
“Padraig Smith and Noel Mooney went out there three or four weeks ago and met Barcelona. They looked for a proposal which was going to be sent to them in the autumn. We have also got correspondence from Barcelona last week saying that they have not agreed to the game in Limerick.”
Limerick Fine Gael TD Kieran O’Donnell, who was also party to the discussion on RTÉ Radio One, challenged John Delaney on his ability of the FAI to sanction the game.
“It’s not within out ability,” John Delaney replied.
“The game will not be going ahead. I would love it to go ahead, but the game will not be going ahead . . . We have signed up an agreement, as I said earlier, with an agency who will bring games into Ireland on our behalf. That restricts our ability to grant friendlies of a certain capacity. We’re contractually bound . . . We can’t let it happen . . . We’re legally restricted from it.”
Kieran O’Donnell asked John Delaney if it was possible to now sit down with Limerick FC and work the issue out, but the FAI CEO said: “It’s too late for that . . . If you behave in the manner that they’ve done (Limerick FC) you’re bringing the game into disrepute over the last couple of days with the way they have been behaving,” John Delaney added.
“Around the time of the opening of the stadium as well on Thursday night issuing legal letters that come into us on Friday morning was done in poor taste, naive. I also think, and I keep going back to the point, I deal with clubs all the time, I deal with national associations, I deal with agents, I know the way it works. I think the guys in Limerick have been very naive about how they’ve dealt with this and who they’re dealing with.”
FC Barcelona collected their 20th Spanish league title beating Real Valladolid on Sunday evening and while Limerick FC are still hopeful that the FAI will reverse their decision not to sanction the proposed friendly time is fast running out for the Super Blues to seal the deal.
BRIAN MCDONNELL
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