SOCCER: A first attempt by the FAI to rebuild its bridges with the Government yesterday was swiftly rebuffed by the Department of Sport when a letter from the association described as "conciliatory" was dismissed as falling short of what is required to allow normal communications between the two sides to resume.

It is understood that the letter from senior Merrion Square officials failed to provide any indication that the association intends to meet the key Government requirement that the post of chief executive and that of financial director will be advertised before the end of the year.

A letter noting this fact was sent from the Department to the association and it appears that the ball is back in the FAI's court.

Meanwhile, the Irish Sports Council's chief executive, John Treacy, also wrote to the FAI yesterday seeking a commitment that the association intends to comply with the Minister's request and making it clear that until such an assurance is received there will be no further meetings between the two organisations.

A meeting is scheduled for Tuesday afternoon but it now appears unlikely that this will go ahead.

"The Sports Council and the Minister are at one with regard to this issue," Treacy said yesterday. "We have been in regular contact about the situation which we view as being very serious.

"The situation now is that I'm waiting for clarification from the FAI as to what they intend to do," he said. "I've written to them today seeking clarification as to whether they are going to meet the deadline (for advertising the two posts). In the absence of such an assurance we see no point in meeting on Tuesday."

Earlier, on RTE radio the Minister for Sport, John O'Donoghue, reiterated that the failure of the FAI to proceed with advertising the posts by December 31st would have consequences for Government funding of the organisation. "Certainly it would," he said before adding, "the fact is that if they want to paddle their own canoe we'll leave them to paddle their own canoe."

From within the FAI, meanwhile, there were expressions of bewilderment as to how the organisation was suddenly being blamed for a situation that it believes developed over a period of nine months and with the full knowledge of the Sports Council.

There was a clear suggestion that the public body is at least partly responsible for the current situation on the basis that no objections were raised when two senior appointments were made earlier in the year without being advertised and that the Sports Council had not raised any serious concerns over the progress being made in relation to the implementation of Genesis until very recently.

The claim from within the association is that the Minister seems poorly informed in relation to the precise situation that prevails in relation to the status of three senior members of staff, Tadhg O'Halloran, Pat Costello and Peter Buckley, and there is apparently a belief that if they can obtain a meeting with O'Donoghue or his officials they will be able to explain the particular circumstances and reach a compromise with him over the timeframe for future appointments.

Treacy, however, is extremely sceptical regarding this line and maintains that the only way forward for the association is to fall into line with the Government. "That doesn't wash really," he said in relation to the claim that the association's officials were surprised by the way in which they found themselves offside with the Minister given that no problems had been raised by the Sports Council.

"I suppose the bottom line is that they would say that wouldn't they?" said Treacy. "But never in any of our liaison committee meetings did they suggest that they weren't going to advertise these two key posts.

"There were four positions identified in Genesis and with the appointment of Pat Costello they met the communications one, between the appointments of Pat and Tadhg O'Halloran they filled perhaps one and a half of the four areas, but that's not to say that there was ever an understanding that filling the other posts in the same way would be acceptable. It was when we started talking to them about advertising the job of chief executive and financial director that the situation began to develop very quickly, that's where the problems began.

"In any case I think the starting point for us now is where we are, which is that they have been requested to advertise what are seen as the two main jobs before the end of the year and we would not see that as an unreasonable request."

After they had been filled, he agreed, talks could take place on how to proceed in relation to the other positions."

Treacy said the Sports Council has not had much communication with the FAI in recent times but that he expects a reply to his letter to the association on Monday.