FAI REACTION: More than three decades after it first rented the place having conceded that it had no ground capable of staging its home internationals, the FAI was yesterday celebrating what is, according to its chief executive Fran Rooney, Lansdowne Road's rebirth as "a home for Irish soccer".
Mr Rooney hailed the Government's decision to fund the redevelopment of the south Dublin venue as "a great day" for Irish football which, under the terms of the plans agreed yesterday, will finally have a real stake in the stadium where its biggest games are played.
Precise details of how the ground's new ownership structure will work have, Mr Rooney insisted, still to be worked out, but it is to be presumed that its ownership of the site to be redeveloped will be reflected by the IRFU's position in what the various parties described yesterday as a joint venture between the two associations and the Government.
The FAI, nevertheless, stands to benefit substantially both in the short and long terms from a deal that will, in the event that planning permission is secured, provide it with a greatly-increased capacity, hugely-enhanced revenue streams and, at the very least, a real say in the running of the new ground.
"It's great news for us," said Mr Rooney minutes after the Minister, Mr O'Donoghue, had confirmed the Government's decision.
"We wanted clarity for the future, and we've got that. I'd particularly like to compliment the Minister on delivering on his promise to have a decision for us before our World Cup fixtures meeting."
That meeting takes place in Dublin next week, when representatives of the six associations in Ireland's qualification group will hammer out a schedule of matches.
Mr Rooney, who had maintained that Ireland's home games might have to be moved out of the State if a decision wasn't reached on the stadium issue, said that they now look certain to be played at Lansdowne Road after FIFA confirmed to him yesterday that it will, in the wake of the stadium announcement, look favourably upon requests from the association to continue using temporary seating at the ground over the next couple of years.
If, however, planning permission is secured in the two years envisaged, and construction work begins in 2006, then using the stadium for Ireland's qualifying matches for Euro2008 should prove more problematic.
Mr Rooney said yesterday, however, that "we are looking at the possibility of a phased development, and so hopefully we wouldn't have to move any competitive games".
