THE PROFESSIONAL FOOTBALLERS’ Association of Ireland has hit out at the FAI for failing to consult the organisation over the announcement of a new €300,000 fund which would help clubs in financial trouble, adding that Irish football’s governing body have refused to meet with them.

A statement released last night welcomed the introduction of the new fund proposal, but said that the PFAI had not been briefed on their expectation to cover 50% of it.

FAI Offices at the National Sports Campus (file pic). Lorraine O'Sullivan / INPHO Lorraine O'Sullivan / INPHO / INPHO

The fund would be intended to assist League of Ireland clubs who are having difficulties meeting the contractual obligations to their playing staff, as has been the case recently at Limerick and Bray Wanderers.

Worth a total of €300,000, the association wanted to split the financial contribution equally with the PFAI so that both organisations pay a half each.

However, the PFAI have have outlined that they were not made aware of their expectation to contribute €150,000 towards the new fund before it was officially announced.

The PFA Ireland (PFAI) has this evening [Wednesday] been made aware of a proposal by the FAI to provide a fund to assist players in contractual difficulty. The PFAI welcomes the concept of this fund and believes it will assist greatly in alleviating the sort of issues that have bedevilled the league in the last few weeks,” the statement began.

“However, we are astounded that the FAI have seen fit to announce a proposal which involves the players’ association funding half of it without having any discussion on the issue beforehand. The PFAI have been seeking a meeting with John Delaney for over a year now to discuss matters of importance to the domestic game but he has refused to meet with us. We have had no meeting of any substance with any senior member of FAI management since the women’s international team dispute in April 2017.”

Extraordinary behaviour by the FAI. If they had
a proposal,all they had to do was knock on the PFAI door in Abbotstown rather than trial run this ludicrous half and half suggestion in the media. The idea of the players paying their own wages is astonishing. https://t.co/19QrbRzvE4

— Stuart Gilhooly (@PFAISolicitor) July 25, 2018

It continued: “Furthermore, SIPTU have had no discussions with the FAI about this proposal. At the FAI’s request, a meeting was scheduled for today with Fran Gavin and Rea Walshe to discuss improving the relationship between both associations and to discuss the recent issues related to players’ salaries and potential solutions to ensure these issues do not arise again. This meeting was cancelled by the FAI for reasons unknown and rescheduled for this Friday.

“The idea that we would match the contribution of the FAI, an organisation with a multi-million euro turnover, when our organisation has a tiny fraction of its size and turnover, is mind boggling. The total fund proposed is less than the annual salary of the chief executive of the FAI, thus making it deeply insulting that players, all of whom earn a tiny percentage of his income, should be expected to contribute to a fund to pay their own wages. Equally we wonder why the clubs themselves would not contribute to it.

“In summary, we welcome the proposal of the fund but object greatly to the manner of the announcement and the idea that the players should contribute to a fund to pay their own wages. We will meet with the FAI on Friday and make our position on funding very clear to them.”

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