April 15 – Jonathan Hill, the CEO of the Football Association of Ireland (FAI), will depart the organisation at the end of April, bringing to a close a rollercoaster reign.
In a statement, the FAI said an interim CEO will be appointed followed by “a structured search for a full-time successor”. The independent chair of the FAI board Tony Keohane pointed out that the organisation has benefited from Hill’s leadership: “Jonathan joined the association during a difficult time in the heart of the Covid-19 pandemic and helped the association navigate an extremely challenging period.”
Previously a director at the English FA, Hill (pictured) arrived in 2020 as the first permanent CEO appointed to the FAI after the governance crisis that emerged during the John Delaney era, but he failed to steady the ship.
He struggled to find a title sponsor for the men’s team which suffered woeful results and remains rudderless after the departure of manager Stephen Kenny last November.
Hill also took a payment of €11,550 from the FAI in lieu of holidays not taken. He repaid the money as well as another €8,000 benefit in kind he received for commuting expenses. An audit found that his salary had breached the limit of a General Secretary of a government department prompting Sport Ireland to temporarily suspend funding to Irish football.
Under Hill, Ireland participated for the first time in the Women’s World Cup and landed co-hosting rights for Euro 2028. Hill said: “Since 2020, the FAI team and the wider football community have embraced what has been a radical transformation process for the association and I’m proud of what has been achieved. We have developed a new, dynamic senior leadership team, a clear strategic vision, a bold plan to address football’s wider infrastructure needs and a stable and growing financial platform for further and sustainable growth.
“A notable step forward was the 2021 Equal Pay agreement which has been a vital catalyst for the rapid rise of the women’s senior national team over this period, culminating in a historic first World Cup appearance in Australia in 2023.”
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