While it seems increasingly likely, not least in light of president Milo Corcoran's comments at the weekend, that the departure of Fran Rooney from his chief executive post with the FAI is a question of when rather than if, the board of management will not now meet until Friday, rather than today, ahead of a meeting of its 60-strong council later on the same day.

Neither Rooney nor his allies in the FAI were commenting publicly yesterday on developments but while Friday may not quite be D-Day for the former Baltimore Technologies chief it will, it seems, be another stage in the process designed to remove him from the position he took up with the association just last year.

The board has been advised by its legal representatives that it can meet without Rooney being present and so, it is assumed, he will be absent from Friday's meeting. It is improbable, though, that a debate on his position could be stifled at the gathering of the 60-strong council, some of whom are understood to be supportive of Rooney, with two members of the council rumoured to be intent on calling on the whole board to resign.