Richard Boyd Barrett (Dún Laoghaire, People Before Profit Alliance) | Oireachtas source

As someone who played schoolboy soccer for most of my teenage years, as well as Leinster senior soccer, I am well aware of the absolute disgust and revulsion of grassroots soccer players, clubs, supporters and parents at the scandal that has emerged in the FAI. The programme for Government makes a particular promise to improve oversight of spending programmes. Given the obvious incompetence, mismanagement and obscene salaries of Mr. Delaney and his clique in the FAI, the Government must take some responsibility for its failure to investigate what the dogs in the street knew. Those at the grassroots of soccer knew that there was something rotten at the heart of the FAI.

I am looking at an email response from the Taoiseach, when he was Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport, which was sent to somebody on 24 March where he was asked by the emailer to investigate the internal affairs of the FAI. His response was that it was not appropriate for the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport to comment on the internal structures of a national sporting organisation.

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