By David Gold
December 19 – Wales, Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland are hoping to come to agreement with Scotland over their fees for the Carling Nations Cup tournament, which took place earlier this year, and avoid bringing FIFA into the dispute.
The Football Associations of the three nations issued a joint statement saying that they were “in negotiations with the Scottish FA” regarding a potential reduction in the fee they were due to pay in order “to give a more equitable share of profits.”
The statement continued, saying that the competition “returned a profit derived from television rights, sponsorship and ticket sales.
“It is disappointing that this matter has come into the public arena while the four associations are still trying to reach agreement.
“The FAI, IFA and FAW will not be making any further comment to give proper space for those discussions to take place.”
The Republic of Ireland, who won the Nations Cup, had earlier been threatened with facing FIFA mediation after Scotland appealed to them over the non-payment of €1.4 million (£1.2 million/$1.86 million).
The Football Association of Ireland (FAI) has debts in excess of €50 million (£42 million/$65 million), though qualification for the European Championships in 2012 will help improve their financial problems.
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