Former Football Association of Ireland chief executive John Delaney would have been paid almost €3 million during his final three years as an employee, far more than previously thought, new figures show.
Accounts published by the association on Friday show that in addition to his annual salary of €360,000, Mr Delaney (52) would have been due pension contributions worth €285,714 a year and assorted other benefits, bringing the total value of the package over the period in question to €2.943 million.
In a presentation at FAI headquarters, executive lead Paul Cooke revealed that revised accounts for 2016 and 2017 showed emoluments – or total pay including pension contributions – for Mr Delaney totalled €1.945 million, compared with original accounts which showed he was due €860,000 for the two years. The new accounts show he would have been paid €997,043 for 2018.
Mr Delaney was owed more than €2.1 million under the terms of the contract he held, but this was settled earlier this year for €462,000. In a reference to these payments, the accounts note that “certain expenses incurred during 2017 and 2016 by the then CEO were of a personal nature, and these have now been disclosed as part of director’s emoluments”.
Gardening leave
Mr Delaney, who had been on gardening leave since April, left the organisation in September. He was given an exit package worth €462,000, comprised of about €370,000 in pension contributions and a payment of €90,000 in lieu of notice.
Overall, the association, which employs 200 staff, has liabilities of €55 million and its auditors, Deloitte, on Friday declined to express the opinion that it is a going concern.
FAI president Donal Conway, who announced on Friday he is to leave his position over the coming weeks, said he had not been aware of the proposed additional payments or of the terms of the contract renewal under which the pension element was to be paid.
“I wasn’t aware of the contracts that you’re referring to,” Mr Conway said when asked if the board had considered the contracts.
“The key issue at the time was the salary,” he said. “There would have been a view that at €360,000 you were already building in loyalty, that that was already registered within that €360,000. There was no change to the arrangements disclosed to the board. But all of this is subject to investigation.”
On Friday night, Minister for Sport Shane Ross said: “This is a shambles and this has been shambolic for a very, very long time. It’s been run without any proper corporate governance at all. It just fulfilled our worst fears and I think we’re going to be paying for it for a long time.”
