Football club says FAI did not inform it of stand down order against one of its coaches

The Football Association of Ireland (FAI) did not inform a club of a stand down order (SDO) that had been issued against one of its coaches, the club has said.

The coach concerned was one of the three men accused of inappropriate behaviour and unwanted sexual advances in the 1990s following a recent investigation by RTÉ and the Sunday Independent.

“We did not receive any notice from the FAI regarding a stand down order for Mr [surname],” read the club’s statement to The Irish Times. “We received an email from the FAI child welfare and safeguarding manager on 4th July, 2024, saying: ‘In August, if you intend on re-engaging the services of [the coach], please can you contact me prior to do so (sic), as a matter of high importance.’

“It did not reference a stand down order.”

The FAI’s governance handbook states that the association shall inform the individual subject of a complaint or inquiry of their SDO from all footballing activities.

It adds that it should inform “all persons/bodies who are engaging/employing the individual within the game, including but not limited to the person’s club, the league to which the club belongs, and any other party deemed necessary, to protect vulnerable persons”.

The SDO restricts the three male coaches, who all deny wrongdoing, from involvement in “official Irish football activities”.

The joint RTÉ/Sunday Independent investigation stated that an SDO was issued for this coach on March 15th last.

When asked to confirm the dates, the association responded, “the FAI cannot disclose details of any safeguarding cases”.

The FAI was also unable to explain why the order was not sent to the club in question, citing the ongoing Garda investigation.

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The timeline of communication between the club and the FAI began on March 11th when the association’s child and safeguarding manager Kirsten Pakes asked the soccer development officer at the club for the names of their coaches across all teams, and whether any players were aged under 18.

The club responded on March 12th with a full list of coaches, including the coach in question, and confirmed some of its active players are minors.

On March 13th, Ms Pakes/the FAI asked the club whether its coaches had been Garda vetted. The club responded that those who coach under-18s are Garda vetted.

The next communication from the FAI to the club came on July 4th, to ascertain whether any matches or training is currently taking place and, if not, when team activity would resume. Ms Pakes also asked when the club would recruit staff for next season.

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The club responded that recruitment of coaches would not happen until August 2024. Ms Pakes, according to the club, then asked that, if the coach in question was to be re-engaged, it contact her “as a matter of high importance”. She also asked what complaints procedure was in place for players.

There had been no complaints made about the coach in his recent position.

Gardaí confirmed on July 4th last that they were investigating “at least one complaint” and are in contact with other potential victims in relation to the allegations. The active investigation relates to accusations against a senior women’s soccer coach.

“We are sorry for what you had to endure, we’re sorry that anyone could have ever felt unsafe,” said the FAI interim chief executive David Courell last Monday. “We are sorry that the modern practices and reporting structures that we now have in place were not there for you when you needed them.”