Latest news with #JohnFinnegan
Irish Daily Mirror
03-07-2025
- Sport
- Irish Daily Mirror
Senior FAI figure resigns from post
The vice-president of the FAI, John Finnegan, has resigned from his position at Irish soccer's governing body. He will, however, remain as the chairperson of the Munster Senior League. He has been a part of the FAI Board since 2019 and was made vice-president in 2023. His departure is said to be for personal and family reasons. The resignation comes after an anonymous email received by the FAI which detailed "a wider culture that remains toxic, unaccountable and in many cases unchanged despite past scandals" and named certain individuals involved in this. In a statement, the FAI said: "The Football Association of Ireland confirms that John Finnegan has resigned from his position as Vice President of the Association with immediate effect, due to personal and family reasons. "The Board has accepted his resignation and thanks him for his service to the association over the past number of years." His solicitor, Brendan O'Sullivan, spoke on his client's previous disciplinary process with a former employer in 2013, saying it had nothing to do with his resignation. He said: "He is resigning for personal and family matters. This regrettable incident happened 15 years ago. "It was handled at the time and the finding was that inappropriate language was used in messages. John would now like to put this matter behind him."
RTÉ News
03-07-2025
- Sport
- RTÉ News
FAI vice-president John Finnegan departs role
FAI vice president John Finnegan has resigned from his post with immediate effect, citing "personal and family reasons." The Cork man, who has served on the FAI Board since 2019 and as vice-president from 2023, will remain as chairperson of the Munster Senior League. His departure comes a week after the FAI received an anonymous email detailing a series of allegations against named individuals, amounting to a "a wider culture that remains toxic, unaccountable and in many cases unchanged despite past scandals". While Finnegan has not yet commented on his resignation, his solicitor Brendan O'Sullivan acknowledged that his client had been involved in a disciplinary process with a previous employer in 2013 concerning inappropriate messages he had sent some years earlier. No criminal proceedings arose from this and the messages at the centre of the dispute did not contain images or photographs. "He is resigning for personal and family matters. This regrettable incident happened 15 years ago," O'Sullivan told the Irish Independent. "It was handled at the time and the finding was that inappropriate language was used in messages. John would now like to put this matter behind him." Prior to his resignation, It had been expected that Finnegan would have been re-elected to another two-year term as vice-president at the upcoming AGM. In a statement, the FAI wrote: "The Football Association of Ireland confirms that John Finnegan has resigned from his position as Vice President of the Association with immediate effect, due to personal and family reasons. "The Board has accepted his resignation and thanks him for his service to the association over the past number of years."
Irish Examiner
02-07-2025
- Politics
- Irish Examiner
Cork native John Finnegan quits as FAI Vice-President
The FAI will have a new Vice-President at their AGM in October after Cork native John Finnegan resigned with immediate effect. Citing personal and family matters for his departure, Finnegan is to remain as Chairman of Munster Senior League and a committee member of the Munster Football Association. His abrupt exit comes less than a week after the FAI received an anonymous email claiming a plethora of allegations against named individuals, amounting to a 'a wider culture that remains toxic, unaccountable and in many cases unchanged despite past scandals'. Mr Finnegan has yet to comment but his solicitor Brendan O'Sullivan acknowledged an historical matter arose during his employment outside of the FAI. Despite that complaint citing inappropriate photographic material, that wasn't the case. 'He is resigning for personal and family matters,' Mr O'Sullivan told the Irish Independent. 'This regrettable incident happened 15 years ago. "It was handled at the time and the finding was that inappropriate language was used in messages. John would now like to put this matter behind him.' Mr Finnegan was part of the new board elected in the aftermath of the 2019 financial and governance crisis. He was elevated to Vice-President in 2023 and was due to be re-elected for a second two-year term at the upcoming AGM until this crisis erupted. An FAI statement said: 'The Football Association of Ireland confirms that John Finnegan has resigned from his position as Vice President of the Association with immediate effect, due to personal and family reasons. 'The Board has accepted his resignation and thanks him for his service to the association over the past number of years.' More to follow…
Irish Examiner
29-05-2025
- Politics
- Irish Examiner
FAI facing increased pressure to allow freedom to decide season format
The FAI is facing increasing pressure to ditch its summer season edict after the backlash from key affiliates intensified. Resistance to the directive of synchronising all levels of football with the League of Ireland format of February to October hasn't abated since it being passed by a narrow 57% margin of the association's general assembly in December. On the back of a failed attempt to link grant funding for the Gaynor and Kennedy Cups to compliance with the FAI's calendar season, meetings were held in Portlaoise with the two largest constituent bodies on Wednesday night. The Leinster Football Association had previously dismissed the ballot as 'flawed' and were on the brink of releasing a statement seeking freedom of choice among their leagues to remain in the traditional format of September to May. It's believed the statement was only paused due to an intervention from top FAI brass. Significantly, none of the FAI's staff who have been at the forefront pushing the change, were invited to the last-ditch talks – only President Paul Cooke and Vice-President John Finnegan. 'All members present voiced their concerns and opinions around calendar alignment and the issues it would cause in their respective leagues around the province,' the LFA wrote in correspondence to leagues, seen by the Irish Examiner. 'The FAI members present took on board the concerns and views of the LFA and made a commitment to bring those concerns back to the FAI Board.' The pair of elected FAI officers also met with their biggest affiliate, the Schoolboys/girls FAI, who in February pleaded with the FAI to reevaluate the compulsory element. Under the FAI's phased proposal, underage leagues are to introduce the 'calendar' season from next January for players up to age 12 but none of the biggest six seven leagues in the country, DDSL and North Dublin, along with Cork, Galway, Waterford and Limerick, have agreed to the overhaul.
