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The FAI will seek information from goalkeeping coach Alan Kelly and captain Séamus Coleman on Stephen Kenny’s preparations for Ireland’s recent friendly in England.
Kenny was called in to meet with outgoing Gary Owens after the outgoing Acting Executive Director of the FAI received a complaint from inside the camp about a controversial video and speech the manager delivered inside the Wembley Stadium locker room.
While the video itself, which primarily shows previous goals against England and references to the 1916 Easter Rising, was not deemed inappropriate, some elements of his subsequent 15-minute speech caused discomfort among some within the group of 40 players and staff.
Kelly, who continued in the goalkeeping role following the loan from Mick McCarthy, left the setup four days later, citing health concerns.
The FAI’s stated intention Thursday night of “urgency to establish the facts” prompted Owens to have a frank conversation with Kenny, after which new CEO Jonathan Hill and FAI President Roy Barrett were briefed. . The entire FAI board has yet to meet on the matter.
As part of the FAI investigation, mindful of due process, the association is speaking with various other parties.
Coleman, who has not started since Kenny took office in April, had to face England only to retire hours before the game due to injury.
There is no doubt that Kenny will be subject to severe disciplinary measures, which may include dismissal, but the saga, which adds to his eight-game winless streak, threatens to cause tension in an association still reeling from the injuries of the previous regimen.
The controversy comes just a month after a very public opinion difference between Kenny and the hierarchy over the Covid-19 disruption around the Euro play-off in Slovakia.
Kenny had to do without two of his young forwards, Aaron Connolly and Adam Idah, after they were deemed to be close contacts of a staff member who returned a positive case.
That was just the beginning of the drama, as it emerged that the FAI employee’s test result was a false positive and the duo only came within the two-meter distance threshold on the plane because they decided to change seats.
The Irish coach revealed within 48 hours of the penalty shootout loss that he “didn’t realize it because I was in the front of the plane.”
Two weeks later, Kenny insisted that he was still “livid” from the episode.
Owens took a different approach, emphasizing that the press officer had to be on board to comply with Uefa protocols. “No one traveled who didn’t need to be there,” he said pointedly.
Owens, Barrett and Niall Quinn started the move to accelerate Kenny’s rise in April, depriving Mick McCarthy of the opportunity to oversee the play-off semifinal in Bratislava.
The FAI will be keen to see the matter resolved well in advance of the 2022 World Cup draw, which will take place on December 7.
Meanwhile, Owens will remain within the FAI in a supporting role for his replacement Hill. Owens made the last-minute decision to withdraw from the interview process for the first permanent CEO, John Delaney, but it is understood that he will remain next year with newcomer Hill.
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