League of Ireland clubs considering radical breakaway that would see them ditch FAI for foreign union

LEAGUE OF IRELAND clubs discussed potentially breaking away from the FAI in talks with the European Clubs Association on Wednesday.

The Irish Independent report that representatives from eight clubs attended a meeting in a Dublin hotel – with Shamrock Rovers the primary facilitators.

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Formed in 2008, the European Clubs Association purports to be an independent body for clubs across the continent.

However, the report adds that there have been question marks over the group’s close ties with UEFA.

Rovers, Sligo Rovers, Dundalk, Shelbourne, St Patrick’s Athletic and Cork City are already members while Drogheda United and Derry City have officially applied to join its ranks.

Cork City were the only representative from the First Division present.

This was owing to their long-standing membership as the ECA is geared more towards only representing top-flight clubs.

Of the three Premier Division sides that didn’t send anyone to it, it’s stated that Waterford could not due to logistical difficulties.

Meanwhile Galway United turned an invite down.

And Bohemians are instead aligned with a separate European body – the Union of European Clubs.

Bohs Chief Operating Officer Daniel Lambert has previously put it on record that he feels the ECA tends to automatically side with the elite clubs when disputes arise.

Word of the bulk of the Premier Division flirting with a potential replacement for the continually bungling FAI is striking but not overly surprising.

League of Ireland clubs consistently campaign for improvements to academy facilities with those calls seemingly falling on deaf ears around Abbotstown.

Shels boss Damien Duff has cut a frustrated figure of late when grilled about the vacancy around the men’s senior international job.

At every turn, he hammers home that the focus should be on the grassroots if the ultimate goal is to improve the future of Irish football.

Earlier this month, he bemoaned: “I’m not crazy, I’m emotional, I adore football, I love my national team.

“And like I always say it’s got to be ‘the league, the league, the league’.”

He continued: “I stand over it, and when I say the league is the future it comes from the academies. It’s all back to academies. 

“Get the best manager in the world, Pep Guardiola or whoever, it still starts with academies. That’s why the league is the future.

“The future and the quality of the Irish team in the next five, ten years is going to come from the league.”