Euro 2008 Qualifiers News:The Football Association of Ireland stand to take in around €12 million - with estimated profits approaching €10 million - from Saturday evening's European Championship qualifier against Germany at Croke Park, comfortably the largest amount ever cleared by the association on a home game.
A combination of television rights, ticket sales, perimeter advertising and other related commercial revenues will make this game the most lucrative in Irish football history.
Their form over the course of the campaign may have reduced Group D to a two-horse race for second place in which the Czechs hold a distinct advantage but in financial terms Germany are regarded as the continent's most attractive opponents and the FAI's chief executive John Delaney had made no secret of his delight at drawing last year's World Cup hosts in Montreux in January of last year.
At the time he said the association had received an offer of €7 million for the German broadcast rights to the Dublin game and while reports at the weekend suggested the figure eventually agreed was significantly lower, at €5 million, it is still a colossal sum for an organisation whose annual turnover a couple of years ago was only four times that amount.
The actual amount paid was said last night to be closer to the higher of the two figures but even the €5 million is roughly the same as that paid by French TV for the World Cup qualifier at Lansdowne Road in late 2005. This time around, however, there will be more than twice as many people at the game, with 74,000 tickets - the majority priced at €50 and €70 - hugely boosting revenues.
The profits generated by the FAI out of home matches has virtually trebled since the move to Croke Park, easily compensating for the association's inability at present to stage friendly games on home soil. Gate receipts will exceed €4 million. The GAA receive a quarter of ticket sales for games, with rent of at least €1.25 million guaranteed.
Perimeter advertising is expected to bring in up to €2 million on this occasion - a substantial rise - while traditionally smaller revenue streams such as third-party television rights (the entitlement to show the game in other countries) have all been boosted by the identity of Ireland's opponents.
The association's annual report for last year revealed they had almost €15 million in cash reserves and they have subsequently sold their headquarters at Merrion Square for around €9 million as they prepare to relocate to Abbotstown. Work on moving out of the building has already started and it is scheduled to be completed before Christmas.
Delaney said at the organisation's agm recently they remained on target to raise half of the €60 million they are due to contribute to the cost of redeveloping Lansdowne Road by the end of this year.
John O'Shea, meanwhile, is expected to arrive in Dublin today after tests undergone by the player yesterday revealed that a thigh strain sustained while playing for Manchester United in Saturday's 4-0 defeat of Wigan Athletic was not as serious as had been feared.
It is not yet clear whether the Waterfordman will be fit enough to play against the Germans but the fact he has not been withdrawn by his club will be welcome news for Republic of Ireland manager Steve Staunton who is short of options at centre back, where he said last week he intended to start O'Shea.
Steve Carr was officially pulled out of the squad yesterday. He had been rated doubtful for the trip home even when the squad was announced last week because of a hamstring problem and Staunton, who has Steve Finnan, Joey O'Brien and Stephen Kelly still available to him, said he did not intend to call in a replacement for the right back at this stage.
