Speculation has been mounting for quite some time but now it's certain, John Giles is leaving RTÉ Sport and the Three Amigos will be no more after the culmination of Euro 2016.
The, at times divisive, trio of Giles, Dunphy and Brady has been less and less of a fixture of the national broadcaster's soccer coverage over the past twelve months and there was a bit of a storm in a teacup last June when Richie Sadlier was included on the panel for the game against Scotland instead of Giles.
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That was explained as mere scheduling reasons but not everyone was buying it and Giles made it fairly clear that he wasn't on board with that decision either. However, his contract situation was swept under the carpet somewhat and now, to clear up any speculation, Giles has today confirmed that this summer's European Championships will be his last appointment with RTÉ.
In a statement in today's Herald, Giles has explained how the situation has developed and although he states it is 'perfectly understandable', one senses he's not exactly delighted with Ryle Nugent's assertions that his spell with RTÉ has come to an end.
In my negotiations with RTÉ Head of Sport Ryle Nugent last year, he made it clear to me that this was to be the final year of my full-time engagement with RTÉ.
He said that this was designed to allow him to continue the requirement to plan and prepare for the future. This was perfectly understandable to me and I signed the contract which finishes after the Euro 2016 final in France in good faith.
The suggestion that Nugent 'made it clear' to him would certainly seem to indicate that, although he'll no doubt leave the station with everyone's best wishes, he's certainly not going out on his own terms.
Giles, who's still going strong at 75, went on to state that although he'll be leaving RTÉ, he has no plans to retire. His work with the Herald and Newstalk is set to continue and he has also stated that he won't rule out returning to television in the future.
RTÉ, for their part, have since released a statement from Ryle Nugent confirming that Giles' departure from the station.
I can confirm that John Giles will be leaving us at the end of our Euro 2016 coverage this summer. John has been an integral and much-loved part of our soccer coverage for over 30 years as well as a respected ambassador for the Irish football family as a whole.
The Republic of Ireland's participation in this summer's tournament and RTÉ Sport's coverage is an apt occasion for John to bow out at the top and we wish him all the very best with his future endeavours. It's been a privilege to work alongside John through some of the most thrilling times for Irish soccer and his contribution to our programming has been phenomenal.
They have also stated that Giles' time on the panel 'will be celebrated appropriately in due course'.
