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Petition Calling For John Delaney's Removal As FAI CEO Gathers Momentum

22 October 2018; The Football Association of Ireland have teamed up with Brendan & Jenny O'Carroll from Mrs. Brown's Boys, to provide cardiac screening to all children and adolescents from the National League squads. At grassroots level, the initiative will train all coaches around the country in the use of defibrillators, CPR and basic life support. This training is accredited by the Irish Heart Foundation. The FAI began cardiac screening of the Republic of Ireland Under-15 players in 2007 and then extended that to cover domestic league players the following year. This initiative will involve the screening of players in the U-13, U-15, U-17 & U-19 tiers, as well as the U-17s in the Women's National League. Pictured speaking at the launch is FAI Chief Executive John Delaney, at the FAI National Training Centre in Abbotstown, Dublin. Photo by Seb Daly/Sportsfile
Gavin Cooney
By Gavin Cooney
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A petition calling for the removal of Chief Executive from the head of the FAI has received more than 8,000 signatures since it was announced that the Association had parted company with Martin O'Neill, Roy Keane and the rest of their coaching staff.

The petition was first launched after the 0-0 draw with Denmark in Aarhus, and as of 1.15pm on Thursday it had reached a total of 11,474 signatures.

john delaney petition

Following a dreadful year on the pitch, in which Ireland won just once and scored four goals in nine matches, scrutiny on the Association has intensified. Two banners critical of Delaney were confiscated at Monday's game in Aarhus, and since the departure of the management team, a number of high-profile Irish football figures have been critical of the FAI's governance of the game.

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Speaking on Off the Ball, former international manager Brian Kerr gave his opinion that Irish soccer has been mis-managed.

I think the game has been mis-managed here for years and years and now I think there's a chance, an opportunity for everyone that loves the game to demand an explanation for what's gone on, to demand some transparency.

I think the focus now should be on the board who allow John Delaney to run the association in the way he runs it. That's where the focus should be now as much as it should be on the appointment of the senior manager and the under-21 manager.

There's space and time now for a bit of a clean sweep I think and that's what should happen.

Elsewhere, speaking on RTE Radio's Morning Ireland, Liam Brady says he is worried about the lack of Irish talent coming through, and pointed to the composition of the FAI's board as perhaps being a factor in this.

What worries me above anything else is the lack of players we have coming through.

I'm not an expert with what's going on in that regard with the FAI but I know whatever has gone on, it hasn't worked. We're simply not seeing the talent that we once had in the years gone past. The likes of Damien Duff, Robbie Keane, Richard Dunne, Shay Given; all top class players in England.

We haven't replaced them with anybody of the same quality. There has to be a reason for that. I don't really understand why someone like Brian Kerr is not involved in youth development when he had such an unbelievable track record in it.

Then you look at the board of the FAI who are responsible for the game in the country and there's nobody from the professional game, from what I can see, there's nobody that has played football professionally, neither in England or at international level, or even League of Ireland level, there's just no representation and that can't be right.

See Also: Matt Doherty Opens Up On "Old-School" Training Under Martin O'Neill

 

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