FAI Director confirms goalkeepers were not spoken to about Israel matches
Senior executives at the FAI, including CEO David Courell, President Paul Cooke, and Director of Football John Martin, appeared before an Oireachtas Committee today (Wednesday).
At times, the meeting was tense, but the delegation provided testimony regarding the FAI’s decision-making process for the Israel fixture.
The FAI said that there were clear attempts to ensure player perspectives prior to the game. These included two separate votes among the players, with the second one aiming to provide the squad with greater clarity.
FAI President Paul Cooke noted a clear 68% majority among the players in favour of going ahead with the game.
CEO David Courell explained how the FAI engaged with UEFA extensively, saying that there were upwards of 20 meetings held over the last year. He noted that while UEFA displayed sympathy for the Irish position, they had to operate within the constraints of a 55-member organisation.
Sanctions for rule breaches would be determined by an independent committee, so they would not have known what the outcome would have been if they refused to play.
In what was a bombshell moment in the meeting, Director of Football John Martin clearly laid out that there were consultations with outfield players. It emerged that there was a discrepancy in reporting lines regarding the goalkeeping unit in the lead-up to the game.
He said: “Truthfully, it appears nobody talked to the goalkeepers.”
The FAI then confirmed that goalkeeper Gavin Bazuna had opted out of the final vote following personal consultation with his family.
CEO David Courell said: “I know people want us to be a vehicle for broader statement and change, but the reality is we are tasked to do a particular role to protect the interest of Irish football. I strongly reject any claim that we have disgraced the game; we are here to do our best for the sport in Ireland.”
Paul Cooke, FAI President, said: “The view in the room was that greater clarity was needed. Based on the majority consensus and the information available to us, I believe we handled the events of the past week quite well.”