Three Ireland has opted against continuing its sponsorship of the Football Association of Ireland.
The telecommunications company announced the decision in a statement released on Wednesday afternoon.
Three's current deal with the FAI is due to end in July 2020.
"Having recently reviewed our full sponsorship portfolio, we have decided to consolidate our sponsorship investment in the area of music," said Three's Chief Commercial Officer, Elaine Carey.
At Three, we are entirely focussed on supporting the Irish Men's team through what we hope will be an exciting and successful qualification for the UEFA European Football Championship and the Irish Women's team in their qualification journey for the UEFA Women's European Championship.
We also wish the Irish teams at every level the very best for the future.
Three has been the FAI's primary sponsor since 2010. In 2015, it signed a five-year deal worth €8.9 million. Earlier this year, the company issued a warning to the FAI regarding its governance. That came amid serious questions regarding the association's finances.
Last week, Sport Ireland referred an independent audit of the FAI to the Gardaí.
FAI president Donal Conway thanked Three for their contribution to Irish football.
"In their ten years as proud backers of Irish football they have been Ireland’s number one supporter and we will always be grateful to them for their financial and personal support," said Conway.
"We look forward to a successful eight months ahead with Three on board as we countdown to the EURO Play-Offs in March and the UEFA EURO 2020 games in Dublin next summer."
Photo by Stephen McCarthy/Sportsfile
