The Taoiseach has confirmed he is open to scaling down the national stadium and sports campus project if the costs of the current scheme are shown to be too high.
In Killarney yesterday Mr Ahern said: "If we have to scale this up or back or forward I've no difficulty in doing that."
However, Mr Ahern was critical of the overwhelmingly negative contributions to debate on the issue and called for more balance in the media.
He rejected repeated claims that the project amounts to an "ego trip" for him, and said it would not be a personal legacy for anyone. It would be a facility for the people, he said. "It will stand as a legacy to a prosperous era in this country."
It was confirmed yesterday that the Government is not legally committed to building the stadium despite making deals with the main footballing organisations on the number of matches they would play in it.
A Government spokesman said there were no legally binding agreements made. But he added: "This project is going ahead, subject to a review of its costs." Government sources said they felt they had a political and moral obligation to deliver on what had been agreed with the GAA, the FAI and the IRFU.
Meanwhile, the process of receiving tenders for the construction of the project is to go ahead as normal, with tenders to build parts or all of the sports campus and stadium to be submitted by next month. These tenders will provide specific information on costings, which will be useful in the detailed review of costs that is to take place, according to Government sources. However, no contracts will be awarded until the cost review process is complete.
The Tanaiste, Ms Harney, repeated yesterday that she was in favour of funding sport but would only say Ireland needed a stadium "appropriate to our means". She defended the Taoiseach against the claim that he was on an "ego trip", saying he genuinely believed in the project because of his interest in sport.
Labour leader Mr Ruairi Quinn yesterday accused the Taoiseach and Tanaiste of contradicting each other over the £60 million grant to the GAA. While Ms Harney had said the Government could apply conditions to the grant, the Taoiseach had insisted it could not.
"Speaking in relation to the £60 million grant in the Irish Examiner this morning the Tanaiste stated ` . . one thing we can do is apply conditions when large sums of public money are being given to the GAA'," Mr Quinn said in a statement. "This contradicts directly what the Taoiseach told Dail Eireann on 11th April last when questioned about the same issue he stated `We will state our position but we cannot force it or make it a precondition.' "
He said Mr Ahern's position was consistent with that of the GAA. He accused Ms Harney of using the issue "to shore up the image of her flailing party. The reality would appear to be is that she has failed in her efforts to attach conditions to the grant to the GAA. She should be honest enough to say so."
He said the reports that a smaller-scale project was being considered "do not change the fact that no public money should be committed to any project prior to the completion of an independent evaluation of costs".