Sport Ireland add to calls for Donal Conway to withdraw nomination for FAI President

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Donal Conway

The Chair of Sport Ireland says Donal Conway should not continue as FAI President.

He’s the only person in the running for the role, despite promising the entire board would step down following controversy over how the association is run.

Minister for Sport Shane Ross wrote a letter to Mr Conway yesterday calling on him to withdraw his nomination.

Chair of Sport Ireland, Kieran Mulvey, has told an Oireachtas Committee it’s clear new faces are needed at football’s governing body.

“We have no difficulty in regard to the statement made by the minister,” said Mr Mulvey.

“It would be the view of Sport Ireland, the Board of Sport Ireland, and the officers of Sport Ireland, that the minister’s wish in this regard would be listened to very strongly and adhered to.”

John Treacy, CEO of Sport Ireland, says it’s been two steps forward but one step back from the FAI this week.

He told the committee the entire FAI board should step down, with a new-look board needed to help sort out governance issues.

“We want to make sure we have the right people because we are about trying to restore public trust in this organisation,” said Mr Treacy.

“This organisation needs to go forward. There’s evidence that there’s some change but sometimes you take two steps forward and one step back, and this is what we’ve seen this week.”

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