Crucial day for Eircom Park - February 5, 2000
It's a crucial day for the FAI's planned Eircom Park stadium, with the association's management committee due to hear reports today on two fundamentally opposed packages.
One is the result of talks between the FAI's go-it-alone treasurer, Brendan Menton, and senior government figures. Menton met Taoiseach (prime minister) Bertie Ahern and sports minister Jim McDaid to find out what the government were offering in terms of financial inducement to the FAI in return for abandoning the Eircom Park project and rowing in with the government's own plans for a national stadium.
Menton is due to reveal the fruits of his discussions to his management committee colleagues today.
The other package is the proposal from property company Davy Hickey, which is interested in becoming an equity partner of the FAI on the Eircom Park project.
The company is believed o be offering to pick up part of the bill for constructing Eircom Park, and recoup its money from future revenues. Senior FAI figures have met with Davy Hickey over the last week and are also due to report today.
Both packages are believed to be worth around IR£50 million to the FAI - the essential difference being that the Davy Hickey proposal would see the FAI ultimately owning its own stadium - albeit having repaid a £50 million loan - while the Government proposal would see the FAI still in the position of being tenants in someone else's stadium.