A bad day for football as IFA once again live up to Inept Farcical Absurd tag

The leading Northern Ireland fanzine from a few years ago used to run a series of articles entitled Inept Farcical Absurd, highlighting the incompetence of the Irish Football Association. The series was a long one, sometimes running to several separate ineptitudes per issue, and if the magazine was still alive another couple would have been added to the “to do” list.

Last night the IFA held an Extraordinary General Meeting in order to make much needed changes to the body’s archaic Articles of Association. Having previously failed to gain a 75% majority required to abolish the ban on Sunday football, thankfully the voters stepped out of the 19th century and last night carried the necessary amendment.

No such common sense displayed when presented with proposals to cut the Executive Committee from 18 to 10 members. That would after all have complied with government recommendations which have been linked to a much needed £13 million injection into the sport. Unbelievably this funding has been on the table for over 2 years and yet the IFA cannot get its house in order and fulfil the requirements. This is almost entirely due to reluctance on the part of association members to relinquish their influence and to give up the perks and benefits that accompany the same.

Coupled with the IFA’s acceptance of the Maze business plan, yesterday was a bad day for football in Northern Ireland.

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