NEWS: FAI officials are willing to provide former Eircom League chairman Brendan Dillon with the financial information he has requested, but only if he is prepared to attend a meeting in Merrion Square in order to obtain it, the organisation decided at their council meeting in Citywest yesterday.

The meeting was told the association's legal advice was that it is not under any obligation to its former directors in this regard but a statement issued afterwards by the organisation stated the offer would be made "in a spirit of openness and transparency".

A small number of those at the meeting, which was attended by representatives of clubs and affiliates from around the country, is believed to have queried the handling of the association's finances but chief executive Fran Rooney and treasurer John Delaney are believed to have received the support of a substantial majority for their handling of the situation.

In relation to the failure by the association to lodge accounts for last year with the Companies Office, it was stated the delay had been due to a number of issues that had required attention before the documentation was finalised.

The meeting was told the accounts would be lodged within the next couple of weeks.

Afterwards Rooney said the meeting had discussed the matters raised in a "comprehensive manner", and that "the members were happy with the information provided".

Rooney went on say the association would co-operate in whatever way required, with the compilation of a report requested by the Public Accounts Committee of Dáil Éireann into the way grant aid, provided by the Government under the Capital Grants Scheme, had been spent by the FAI and its affiliates.

He said the officials at the Department of Arts, Sport and Tourism would be provided with whatever documentation was requested.