The FAI is facing a dual humiliation after the Government's decision not to provide funding for a proposed national stadium, writes Emmet Malone.
The news that the Government will not after all provide funding for the proposed national stadium is another serious blow to the FAI and its hopes of finding a ground it can one day call its home.
Its original plan, to build the 45,000 seat Eircom Park at Citywest, was abandoned in March of last year when escalating costs, doubts about potential revenues and, most importantly, the offer of a free alternative from the Government persuaded its ruling national council to change direction.
The association had, by the time it agreed to switch its focus to Stadium Ireland, spent all of its financial reserves on the proposed development of Eircom Park. But the agreement it reached with the Government held out the promise of hugely increased funding of its work as well as the provision of the stadium itself.
Under the terms of the agreement, the FAI was to pay a modest fee each time it used the stadium but it would, in contrast to its position at Lansdowne Road, be free to raise substantial capital by selling the ground's corporate boxes and greatly increased revenue from its games, as it would keep a higher percentage of the money generated by tickets, television rights and advertising sales.
The deal ultimately caused problems for the association's general secretary and Eircom Park's chief proponent, Bernard O'Byrne, and he was replaced by one of those centrally involved in pursuing the Government alternative - Brendan Menton.
Almost immediately, elements of the funding package agreed began to come on stream and there has been a dramatic acceleration during the past year in the number of development projects assisted by the FAI. The stadium element of the deal, however, was estimated to be worth upwards of €2.5 million in additional revenue annually to Merrion Square. There has been growing frustration within the game during the past year that the firm commitments received from the Taoiseach, Mr Ahern, to the effect that it would be built showed no signs of translating into building work.
The situation was complicated at the start of this year when the association, again with the backing of the Government, agreed to become part of a joint bid with its Scottish counterpart, to host the European Championships in 2008. As its contribution to the bid, Ireland is expected to provide two stadiums of at least 30,000 seats each. The FAI appears to have seen the opportunity to become involved in the bid process - which will be concluded in December when the game's European governing body UEFA will decide where the event is to be held - as a way of pressing the Government into moving on its plans for Stadium Ireland.
Although officially the bid has always been based on the possibility of using any two from three stadiums (Stadium Ireland, Croke Park and Lansdowne Road) there has been little genuine interest among senior football officials in using the GAA's ground, which it would be expected to pay for in the same way it does for the IRFU's at present.
Yesterday's decision by the Government potentially leaves the FAI's senior officials facing the dual humiliation of on the one hand having to admit to their members that they are in no better a position to "deliver" Stadium Ireland, and on the other having to inform their Scottish counterparts that the Irish end of the 2008 bid is in very serious difficulty.