No way back for Derry and FAI
Tuesday November 10 2009
ANY lingering hope of reconciliation between the current administration of Derry City Football Club and the FAI disappeared last night. The battle lines couldn't be any clearer.
The decision of FAI CEO John Delaney to invite RTE to Abbotstown and show bank statements and contracts -- with blacked-out names -- which lay behind the expulsion of the Candystripes from the League of Ireland means there can be no turning back.
Strong words have been used and threats have been made. The 22 players in question will not be allowed to look for new clubs unless they admit they were holding double contracts -- and Delaney has given them a deadline of Thursday lunchtime to come forward or else face consequences.
While a two-minute snippet of Delaney's discussions with the national broadcaster featured on bulletins throughout the night, the Abbotstown press department distributed 15 minutes of material to national newspapers. The tone was clear -- the FAI are confident of their evidence standing up in any court.
threats
They stand by the decision made at last Saturday's board meeting; an option taken on the basis of details which emerged at a meeting with Derry chairman Pat McDaid and vice chairman Stephen McCarron three days earlier.
Indeed, the references to Derry's solicitor Des Doherty, described as a 'celebrity type' by Delaney, suggested that the threats being made by the Northerners have failed to ruffle feathers in FAI HQ.
Derry said they would seek an injunction freezing the distribution of prize money to all clubs in the league if they did not receive the €60,000 awarded to the team in fourth position -- the position they finished up in before their expulsion.
Asked if the money would be given to Derry, Delaney simply replied: "They can forget about that. That's not on. That's absolutely not on."
Last night, the Foylesiders were considering their response amid a variety of meetings, with chairman Pat McDaid stating: "John Delaney is trying to gather evidence or reasons for what he did last Saturday. He hasn't produced these documents (on RTE news) to us, none of them."
Delaney, however, is content to divulge details of the articles in their possession, stating that there is a difference of €337,000 between the contracts submitted to the FAI and the contracts that existed between Derry and their players.
"If you take Player 11," he said, citing an example, "when the correct form came into the FAI in terms of registering the player, he was paid €750 gross per week.
"Last Wednesday, Derry told us they were paying that player €1050 nett, and when you gross that up that's €1312, the difference then between what is being given to us and what is actually happening is a difference of €562. Now if I tot up those 22 players in total, the annual difference is €337K.
"That is the reason why Derry City Football Club's contract had to be terminated. It's unfair to the clubs that are playing fair, the Brays, Droghedas, Galways who have gone about their business properly," he added.
"We've got the evidence. Twenty two different players.Twenty two different contracts. Look at the bank account. The facts are here in front of me, they can go in front of any court in Ireland.
"The allegations are based on what they told us at the meeting on Wednesday night. Something changed between Wednesday night and Saturday."
League Director Fran Gavin weighed into the war of words by adding that, "Mr McDaid needs to get his head out of the sand and tell the truth."
With Derry showing little willingness to back down, and their players facing a quandary, there's plenty of mileage left in this sorry saga.
- Daniel McDonnell
Irish Independent
