The FAI have had to shred and reprint 18,000 match-day programmes for the Republic of Ireland’s Euro 2016 qualifier against Scotland today, because FAI CEO John Delaney criticised FIFA.
It was reported in today’s The Irish Daily Mail that the FAI spent €10,000 to republish the programmes with the message from Delaney removed, the FAI have claimed it had cost €6,700.
Delaney had originally said that the culture in FIFA under president Sepp Blatter “was one of corruption and bribery”, but the FAI confirmed that the programmes were shredded and reprinted without the comments.
Delaney had also said in the initial notes that there had been “seismic change on the global football front” with Blatter’s announcement that he would resign from his position as FIFA president.
Today’s reprinted programme notes
His initial notes read: “That decision was a major step and allows the football world to address the need to change the culture of FIFA.
“It was all too obvious that the culture was one of corruption and bribery.
“Those who love the game have been crying out for change and now the opportunity is there.
“I have stated many times that the global body needs to adopt the attitude of accountability and transparency which has been cultivated in UEFA under the leadership of Michel Platini and I hope that FIFA can take similar steps in the right direction.”
An FAI spokesman said it was an “editorial decision” to scrap the original notes and that Delaney was unaware of the decision.