Senior Citizens Time at FAI

Irish Voice Sport

Senior Citizens Time at FAI

March 12, 2008

By Cathal Dervan

AT a time when the rest of the country was awaiting the Ireland-Wales rugby game early on Saturday morning, the Yes Men of the Football Association of Ireland (FAI) shouted their latest news from the rooftops of Abbotstown as if it was something we should all be proud of.

In case you missed it, I can now tell you that the former England manager and international Bobby Robson is to continue in the employment of the world’s most useless sporting organization as an ambassador for Irish football.

Yes folks, at 74 years of age Mr. Robson has found himself a new job with the body that recently employed a youthful 69-year-old as its new international team manager. There must be an award from Help the Aged on its way to the FAI any day now for services to the elderly!

The Robson appointment, as highlighted by my Irish Daily Star colleagues Paul Lennon and Pat Dolan on Monday, is a very strange one, especially when you consider that the likes of Jack Charlton and Paul McGrath, never mind the unfortunate David Langan, have done far more for Irish soccer without such an honor.

Yet it seems that Robson is now being rewarded for two years helping the current Irish team to their embarrassment of a European Championship campaign, two years when he acted in some convoluted job described locally as “international football consultant.”

According to the latest FAI press release Sir Bobby — a title awarded to him by a foreign state, by the way — will assist the world’s most useless football association in a number of different ways.

The official statement carrying this wonderful news went on: “He will contribute to the development of a high performance strategy for elite players as well as offering guidance and support to technical staff and young elite players involved in the National Academy at Abbotstown, once it is established.

“Sir Bobby will also assist in the promotion of the FAI’s joint bid with the IFA for the 2011 UEFA under-21 championships and the 2011 UEFA Cup final. Additionally, he will be involved in promoting the association at home and abroad and assisting in commercial and corporate activities.”

What a man! Not long after serious illness kept him away from Steve Staunton’s side when the gaffer needed him most, Bobby is going to have the time to help the FAI with their high performance strategy, their national academy that hasn’t been built yet and their bid for the 2011 UEFA Cup final and under-21 championships.

Not to mention assisting with the commercial and corporate activities of a body with a $60 million-plus turnover that still accepts handouts from the likes of Denis O’Brien to pay the wages.

Of course, the FAI isn’t telling us exactly how much Robson’s silence has cost them. And that, folks, is what this is all about.

As an FAI employee Sir Bobby cannot tell us what he really thinks of the way chief Yes Man John Delaney axed his protégée Stan at a time when he knew he had O’Brien’s money burning a hole in his back pocket.

Nor can the manager who opposed Ireland at Stuttgart in 1988 or Italy in 1990 tell us what he thinks of the appointment of a man only five years his junior as Stan’s successor.

Whatever Delaney is paying Robson to keep quiet it is cheap money, because I am sure there are things a decent football man like Robson would like to say about Delaney and his Yes Men if he wasn’t on their payroll any more.

We may never hear those opinions of course, and the FAI would be quite happy if you never hear any opinions other than their own, but at least we know their money talks.

In the past weeks they have bought Liam Brady off the RTE panel as their new assistant manager and brought their biggest critic Eamon Dunphy on board with the Trapattoni appointment, one he described the other night as “the best thing to happen Irish football in my lifetime.”

Even Johnny Giles and Ray Houghton were involved in the recruitment process that eventually landed Trapattoni, so their opinions are now compromised as well.

Thankfully some of us won’t shut up about their stupidity –- not even if the check is in the post.

And at 44 –- it was my birthday on Tuesday, thanks for the card! -– I’m way too young to work for the FAI anyway!

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