Football Association Ireland: Association to attend committee hearing over knowledge of abuse claims

The FAI apologised to the women but have been repeatedly asked to attend a hearing in front of the Joint Committee to clarify claims they had knowledge of the allegations prior to the release of the findings.

The association said a four-week deferral was required to “enable adequate preparation time, given the complexity introduced by the Committee seeking material that relates directly to an ongoing Garda investigation”.

In their statement, it added this was also due to “key personnel” being on annual leave on 9 July and 16 July – the dates offered for the meeting.

“The Committee requested a broad range of documents, many that relate specifically to an ongoing Garda investigation,” said the FAI.

“Any disclosure must also be assessed carefully for legal and GDPR compliance given the sensitive and confidential nature of safeguarding information requested.

“Over the intervening period we will continue to liaise with the Committee to ensure the scope of the session is clearly defined to ensure that no parties could inadvertently compromise an ongoing investigation.”

The FAI added it will “fully respect the important work” of the Joint Committee and is “fully committed to engaging constructively with the Committee on this matter”.

“We look forward to them defining a revised date where this session can proceed,” it continued.

The statement also encouraged anyone involved in Republic of Ireland football who has experienced abuse to report it to the FAI.