A former development officer with the Football Association of Ireland has claimed he was unfairly selected for redundancy in 2010 after more than eight years with the organisation.
Paul Sheridan (50) from Gorey, Co Wexford, told an Employment Appeals Tribunal in Dublin yesterday that when he was appointed as regional development officer in 2002, along with 11 others, former Ireland manager Brian Kerr took a pen to a map of Ireland and drew a line from Bray to New Ross and told him to develop football in those areas.
Mr Sheridan has taken a claim of unfair dismissal against the FAI, which has said he was fairly chosen for redundancy along with a dozen others around the country.
He said he was initially responsible for developing football in Wicklow, Wexford and Carlow and though he was employed on a 40-hour week he worked 60 hours. Starting in 2007, additional development officers were recruited for the three counties but Mr Sheridan said he continued to work in all three.
'Sit back and reflect'
Under cross-examination by Eamon Marray for the association, Mr Sheridan said he had waited three months before taking the unfair dismissal case because Packie Bonner had advised him to "sit back and reflect".
Miriam Malone, Mr Sheridan’s line manager, told the tribunal by the time he was made redundant he was no longer regional development officer but was Wicklow development officer.
There were 13 redundancies in all including three development officers from around the country and four development officers responsible for women’s football, she said.
Tribunal chairwoman Dorothy Donovan said a determination would be delivered as soon as possible.
