Kennedy and deputy forced to resign at Irish Football Association

By Duncan Mackay
British Sports Internet Writer of the Year

July 5 – Raymond Kennedy has resigned as President of the Irish Football Association (IFA), along with his deputy David Martin, after they were blamed for costing the organisation more than half-a-million pounds with the controversial sacking of Howard Wells as chief executive in October 2008.

The pair were forced to step down following a unanimous vote by their own 11-member Executive Board of directors after a Government-ordered inquiry was highly critical of their roles in the Wells affair.

The report found them ”equally culpable” of costing the IFA £516,000 ($760,000) in settlement of Wells’ wrongful dismissal claim.

Kennedy will formally tender his resignation today when he returns from South Africa where he has been serving as part of FIFA’s World Cup disciplinary committee.

If Kennedy and Martin had not stood down, it was feared that Northern Ireland’s Government would refuse to provide £30 million ($45 million) worth of funding to help renovate Windsor Park into a new national stadium.

Kennedy will continue as President for another two weeks while a replacement is selected and can continue, along with Martin, as IFA members.

Kennedy fiercely defended what he has achieved since replacing Jim Boyce as President in 2006.

He said: ”I have given 34 years service to football and I have devoted a lot of time to the game, often going the extra mile in my own time.

“I have always tried to do the job to the best of my ability and in the best interests of football in Northern Ireland.

“I have been involved in a lot of positive developments at the IFA, including changes brought about in the governance of the organisation.

“There have been several changes to the articles, driven by myself, and my colleague David Martin has been instrumental in that as well.

“There have been a few acrimonious AGMs and EGMs but we have managed to get votes through for changes to be made.

“The IFA has changed from a Council under Jim Boyce to an Executive Committee and 11-man Board.

“If things are very good, they can’t really be bettered - that’s my view.

“In my opinion the IFA has come a long way in five years and made positive strides forward.

“I am proud of that and also proud of the role the IFA has played in the stadium issue.

“Hard work has been invested into getting the IFA and Linfield to reach a draft agreement on the way forward for Windsor Park.”

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