Overview
- Chief executive David Courell led a five-person delegation — including Aoife Rafferty, Paul Cooke, Tony Keohane and safeguarding manager Kirsten Pakes — to the Leinster House session.
- Courell said the attempted deferral was not meant as disrespect and stressed safeguarding as a priority, while refusing to discuss specifics on legal advice and Garda guidance.
- Committee chair Alan Kelly called the proceedings “farcical” and “disrespectful,” and said he will write to Sport Minister Patrick O’Donovan, warning the conduct could jeopardise funding sought for League of Ireland academies.
- Members challenged the FAI over when it learned of allegations, citing 2023 internal emails, as the association maintained an official complaint only arose in January and “crystallised” in February 2024.
- Eileen Gleeson and Gareth Maher, both invited by the committee, were not part of the delegation, and the committee signalled it may pursue other avenues and seek further documents as the Garda probe continues.