The cash-strapped Football Association of Ireland (FAI) has managed to pay just €19,000 of the more than €350,000 owed to An Garda Síochána for policing major international matches.
In December of last year, it emerged that the Garda was owed €357,244 for policing operations at major Irish soccer internationals at the Aviva stadium in Dublin.
On Wednesday, a Garda spokesman confirmed it has received payment from the FAI of €19,000 this year of the monies owed and that the overall FAI bill has since increased from last December.
The spokesman stated: “In line with additional invoices issued in 2020 the total fees outstanding to An Garda Síochána from the FAI for policing events is approximately €368,000.”
He stated that “An Garda Síochána are continuing to pursue the recovery of the outstanding sum.”
The spokesman stressed that “this outstanding debt has had no impact on the Garda budget”.
Timeline for repayment
On Wednesday, FAI sources said that the Association is “in discussions with the Gardaí around the timeline for the full payment of all monies owed”.
The bill would be much larger but for all games at the Aviva since March being played behind closed doors, due to the Covid 19 pandemic.
Earlier this year, the Garda Freedom of Information (FOI) unit declined to release correspondence between the Gardaí and the FAI concerning the outstanding monies as the release “could impact future negotiations, therefore having an adverse effect on the performance of the organisation.”
"The release of this type of detailed information is not in the best interest of the public,” it stated.
