Minister of State urged to act on FAI safeguarding meeting cancellation

Minister of State for Sport Charlie McConalogue has been asked by the Oireachtas sport committee to intervene after the FAI said it could not attend a scheduled meeting on safeguarding concerns.

The FAI informed the committee that it would be unable to meet as planned on 11 November, prompting committee chair Alan Kelly to call for the minister’s involvement. Kelly said the issue attracted “huge public interest” and described the FAI’s decision as “deeply concerning”.

Background to the safeguarding issue

During a September meeting with the committee, which also covered the UEFA Nations League clash with Israel, members flagged inconsistencies in the FAI Connect system – an administrative platform launched in January 2023 for managing coaches, players, referees, volunteers and fixtures. The FAI has since launched an external review of its safeguarding framework, a step welcomed by the committee.

Kelly urged the FAI to appear before the committee as soon as possible, before the independent review report is published, and sought clarification on the scope of the review and the changes identified since the committee’s September 30 2026 appearance.

Source: Donegal Daily. Photo: Zulfugar Karimov / Pexels.