[quote=âHBV*â]shameless begging and grovelling hasnt worked, is there any chance the fai will go down the compensation route next for the few bob?
loss of earnings through no fault of their own, is there a few euros in it for them?[/quote]
Thats most likely the ideal endgame for them, that or a grand soft draw in the Euros.
[quote=âJulio Geordioâ]
The FAI are like a lad in coppers at 2 oâclock. Trying every angle but ultimately just embarrassing themselves.[/quote]
It would be at least 3 before youâd try something like that
[quote=âcroppy_boyâ]http://www.independent.ie/sport/soccer/farcical-idiotic-foolish-absurd-1959351.html
[indent]1 WHEN DID THE FAI MAKE THE âTEAM NO. 33â REQUEST TO FIFA?
Last Friday, an FAI delegation of CEO John Delaney(right), Honorary Secretary Michael Cody and Legal Advisor travelled to Zurich when their request for a meeting with FIFA was granted. They met Blatter, General Secretary Jerome Valcke and Legal Division Director Marco Villiger for an hour and a half of discussion.
The FAI admit they asked during those talks if they could be accommodated at the finals as an extra team but refute any suggestion it was the purpose of their visit.
They were bemused by the manner in which Blatter highlighted that particular aspect of the meeting and, privately, are well aware that itâs a fanciful notion. Indeed, a written submission made by the FAI to FIFA contained no mention of that suggestion and instead focused on improvements to the game such as video technology, extra officials and sanctions for individuals who bend the rules.
2 WHERE HAS BLATTER BEEN AND WHY DID HE ENTER THE DEBATE NOW?
The FIFA chief was criticised for his silence last week and made his first foray into the global storm with comments in âLâEquipeâ on Sunday detailing correspondence with Thierry Henry and effectively absolving the French skipper while blaming match referee Hansson. âI definitely gained an advantage by pulling a defenderâs jersey in order to score a goal. And I didnât go and see the referee to tell him about it,â said Blatter, in a slightly unfortunate reference to his days as an amateur player.
After that bizarre intervention, the FAI suspect the FIFA chief felt obliged to offer a more detailed analysis yesterday.
However, he has merely succeeded in clouding the agenda ahead of tomorrowâs EGM of the Executive Committee which, in real terms, should result in a definitive update on the stance of the powers that be towards offering support to match officials.
Instead, the laughable notion of adding a 33rd team to the party â or, indeed, a 34th with Blatter pointing out Costa Ricaâs ire over the offside goal that aided Uruguayâs progression â will be addressed, which may divert attention from the embarrassment of a leading, marketable star like Henry being implicated in such a fashion.
3 IS MONEY THE REASON WHY THE FAI PERSIST?
They do not genuinely believe that Ireland can somehow gain an extra ticket to South Africa but, until becoming the butt of yesterdayâs patronising jokes, it was doing the FAI no harm to enjoy the novelty of being cast as the good guy.
Followers of the League of Ireland will recognise the tactic. Delaney was largely silent through a series of crises this year, particularly the troublesome case of Cork City. Yet when the FAI had the moral high ground in the case of Derry City, the CEO popped up in every media outlet, a handy warm-up for the post-Paris frenzy where his pleas filled the airwaves both at home and abroad.
The bigger picture for the FAI is that the 10m-plus boost from qualification was desperately needed, specifically with relation to their commitment towards funding the new Lansdowne Road, which has been gambled on the sale of ludicrously priced 10-year tickets. Borrowed money will tide them over in the short term.
With a crippling budget on the way next week, corporate spending power is likely to be further curtailed. All the same, the profile boost from the French games delivered a mini-rush in sales and afforded the opportunity to capitalise on the football team being brought back into fashion.
It would make little sense for the association to wish for the matter to go away quietly, even though a growing proportion of the Irish population are mortified by the storyâs continued survival.
If the bitterness lingers into the Euro 2012 draw on February 7, then marketing the sale of tickets for that campaign will be an easier task.
4 WILL THE FAI SECURE FAVOURABLE TREATMENT IN FUTURE?
They dispute reports which said that the Irish delegation requested a consolation prize of being top seeds in the 2014 qualifiers in return for missing out on next summerâs jamboree. A totally unrealistic concept.
Still, the FAI appear to be enjoying their prominence in debates with respect to advancing the laws of the game. In fact, in his interview with Setanta last Friday week, Delaney repeated his assertion that Michel Platini was so impressed by the use of umpires in his visit to a hurling match at Croke Park that it inspired the introduction of officials behind the goal as practised in this seasonâs Europa League.
The FAI as the Great Reformers? Itâs been a strange fortnight.
5 DID THE FAI FIND THEIR VOICE TOO LATE?
In truth, the real scandal of Irelandâs failure to qualify was FIFAâs decision to seed the play-off draw having previously indicated that the meeting of Europeâs eight best second-placed teams would be an open affair.
While senior Irish players blasted the decision, the FAI were diplomatic enough in their public utterances with Delaney ironically stating that, from his experience, FIFA didnât change their mind. A month later, when Ireland called for a replay, they found that the French were the stumbling block.
Of course, Delaney subsequently argued that the FAI had privately made their displeasure known but the real momentum behind the prolonging of Handballgate has been public pressure which tugged the heart strings and got the politicians involved.
Would FIFA have reverted to the original plan if the four unseeded nations kicked up a collective and concerted fuss? Almost certainly not. But itâs rich for Blatter to devolve responsibility for Paris to Hansson, when the greatest injustice was perpetrated in the commercially driven moving of the goalposts that pressed Ireland and France together in the first place.[/indent]
Looks like Blatter may be playing it up for more than it was in a bid to make the whole thing disappear and asve Henry the associated shame.[/quote]
I think thereâs a load of nonsense in that article.
Why would we make a submission about extra officials etc? That has nothing to do with the FAI. Weâd be better talking to the IFA, SFA, WFA or the FA about that as they control the rules.
The only reason we submitted anything about reforming rules was so that our begging exercise wouldnât look like begging. But it still does.
And the FAI surely canât have banked on qualifying for the World Cup as a revenue stream. This is the same organisation that indulged in penny-pinching when employing Staunton. The same organisation that pocketed much of the ticketing revenue from US94 themselves (instead of funding the organisation).
Theyâll have little trouble portraying themselves as being out of pocket thanks to FIFA but the reality is they were out of pocket anyway and were very unlikely to have World Cup income to turn their finances around.
Finally can we please stop throwing in the seeding issue into the equation? FIFA didnât change their mind on seeding, they just didnât decide on the process until late in the day (which was wrong). But the playoffs were seeded in 2006, everything else they do is seeded. It wasnât that big a shock.
4 WILL THE FAI SECURE FAVOURABLE TREATMENT IN FUTURE?
They dispute reports which said that the Irish delegation requested a consolation prize of being top seeds in the 2014 qualifiers in return for missing out on next summerâs jamboree. A totally unrealistic concept.
Still, the FAI appear to be enjoying their prominence in debates with respect to advancing the laws of the game. In fact, in his interview with Setanta last Friday week, Delaney repeated his assertion that Michel Platini was so impressed by the use of umpires in his visit to a hurling match at Croke Park that it inspired the introduction of officials behind the goal as practised in this seasonâs Europa League.
The FAI as the Great Reformers? Itâs been a strange fortnight.
Good to see that FIFA are looking at a properly run organisation to see how its done. 
It;'s still a load of bollox though, The groups are seeded to begin with and the stronger teams already have an advantage in being separated from each other as a result. The fact that they were incapable of qualifying as group winners shouldnât see them rewarded by being kept apart again in the play-off draw, in my opinion.
But they are seeded again in the next stage anyway.
I donât think seeding is that brilliant in the playoffs and I think the timing was poor but by God do we have a complex about it. It wasnât the strangest decision in the history of the game, indeed it was just keeping the status quo. Weâre throwing out protests like thereâs no tomorrow at the moment and itâs making us seem awfully foolish.
Its making the FAI seem foolish, the facebook groups are making us seem foolish.
Did some paper carry a story over the weekend about the players demanding Trap let them off the leash for the away leg?
FIFA will give the FAI a few million & all will be happy
Anyone see Sepp Blatters press conference?
He made some laugh of the Irish over asking to be added to the WC as a 33rd team. Fucking soccer crowd are making a show of the whole Country in front of the World now.
Brian Kerr was the previous incumbent and he was on 250k per year. Staunton was paid 400k/450k approx and his International Consultant Bobby Robson was on 150k - not exactly an act of penny pinching given the previous rates and what they could afford at the time.
I think Kerr was on the same as Staunton.
Telegraph said he was on over 300k sterling.
Sunday Business Post say he was on 440k. (http://archives.tcm.ie/businesspost/2005/10/23/story9044.asp)
Even still maybe Staunton wasnât cheap. He should have been though.
And i thought this was about the playstation game.
Now captain of Juventus in the pro mode, its great craic.
[quote=âRockoâ]I think Kerr was on the same as Staunton.
Telegraph said he was on over 300k sterling.
Sunday Business Post say he was on 440k. (http://archives.tcm.ie/businesspost/2005/10/23/story9044.asp)
Even still maybe Staunton wasnât cheap. He should have been though.[/quote]
Fair enough, I though I remembered reports that he was on less but it still makes the fact that they paid Robson 150k a complete joke when he was just used a scapegoat in press conferences.
More proof the Blatter was being a cunt and trying to laugh off the request in a bid to sweep the whole thing under the carpet.
Expect a decision to include the goalside umpires but no sanction for henry who openly admitted to breaking a rule of the game to gain an unfair advantage.
http://www.independent.ie/breaking-news/sport/brady-brands-blatter-an-embarrassment-1960196.html
[quote=âJulio Geordioâ]
Good to see that FIFA are looking at a properly run organisation to see how its done. [/quote]
Its hard to believe alright NCC, not being from an aeronautical background Iâm clearly not as bright as you.
In fact, whats even more amazing is the amount they pay me and the large bonuses I get every month.
They even pay for my car.
[quote=âFitzyâ]Its hard to believe alright NCC, not being from an aeronautical background Iâm clearly not as bright as you.
In fact, whats even more amazing is the amount they pay me and the large bonuses I get every month.
They even pay for my car.[/quote]
Wanna throw up your CV there as well?
[quote=âFitzyâ]Its hard to believe alright NCC, not being from an aeronautical background Iâm clearly not as bright as you.
In fact, whats even more amazing is the amount they pay me and the large bonuses I get every month.
They even pay for my car.[/quote]
A higher achiever than MGG?
[quote=âFitzyâ]Its hard to believe alright NCC, not being from an aeronautical background Iâm clearly not as bright as you.
In fact, whats even more amazing is the amount they pay me and the large bonuses I get every month.
They even pay for my car.[/quote]
wow- we really have some industry leaders here
MGG- best accountant in Europe
KIB- paid for his masters
Fitzy-gets a bonus
[quote=ânorth county corncrakeâ]wow- we really have some industry leaders here
MGG- best accountant in Europe
KIB- paid for his masters
Fitzy-gets a bonus[/quote]
Jaysus, Iâm in much vaunted company there, I feel like Iâve arrivedâŚ