Soccer: Even casual observers of the FAI will know that when it rains on Irish football's governing body it generally pours. Just now, though, they seem to be enjoying some unseasonable sunshine up in Merrion Square where, for the second time in a matter of days, there was cause for modest celebration yesterday.

After Tuesday's success in the World Cup fixtures negotiations, the association this time confirmed a couple of much needed financial windfalls. First, the association took in more than €500,000 from the sale of the remaining tickets for the friendlies against Brazil, the Czech Republic and Romania.

Then, a couple of hours later the organisation announced it had renegotiated its sponsorship deal with Fiat, as a result of which the Italians are now set to provide a reported €1 million in cars and cash to the FAI during the next four years.

"The new deal reflects a strengthened commitment between both organisations as we enter a very exciting period for football in Ireland," said chief executive Fran Rooney as the basics of the package were announced.

Speaking on behalf of Fiat Auto Ireland, which will provide a mixture of Fiat and Alfa Romeo vehicles to the association in addition to direct financial support, the company's managing director, Michael Howe, said his firm "is delighted to be a partner to the FAI and this sponsorship reflects our very strong commitment to Irish football".

Senior officials of the association, including Brian Kerr, already drive Alfa Romeos as a result of the agreement, and a consignment of Fiat's versatile Mutipla vehicles was recently supplied for use by the country's 20 regional development officers.

The deal is the first to be confirmed since the association sought last year to renegotiate all of its major sponsorships. In return for increased funding the association offered its substantially greater access to players for promotional purposes as well as a variety of other benefits.

Eircom, the association's main sponsor, has agreed a similarly revised five-year deal worth an initial €1.2 million per annum and had planned to launch it in early January until details of the agreement appeared in The Irish Times.

In return for the players' cooperation with the new arrangements, the FAI has increased the fees paid to each squad member by around €1,000 per game. A small number of the panel's most prominent figures, including Robbie Keane and Damien Duff, have excluded themselves from the new arrangements.

The estimated €250,000 per annum cost of the pay increases to players would more or less cancel out the increases received from eircom but, as yesterday's announcement confirms, it has provided the association with bargaining power in its dealings with other commercial backers. The hope in 80 Merrion Square is that several other similar announcements will follow, and it is possible that additional benefits of their current negotiations will be revealed if Rooney's plan for a new Football Trust, which would offer a range of benefits to supporters in return for an annual fee, is put into effect.

Yesterday's sale, meanwhile, of 9,000 mainly terrace tickets for Ireland's Lansdowne Road friendlies was completed by Ticketmaster in just 15 minutes, with the result that all three matches will now be played in front of sell-out, 44,000 strong crowds.

Brazilian manager Carlos Alberto Parreira suffered his first withdrawal from the squad for the game in Dublin yesterday when Roma informed the association that World Cup winner Emerson would not be able to take part in the match as he is suffering from a shoulder injury.

Parreira, who is likely to lose several more major stars from what is an exceptionally strong squad, immediately called in Fabio Rochemback of Sporting Lisbon as a replacement.