Sports Minister Shane Ross has welcomed the appointment of three new independent directors to the FAI, as dialogue begins over support for the Association.
Goodbody Stockbrokers MD Roy Barrett will be the independent chair of the FAI, and will be joined by Catherine Guy and Liz Joyce as independent directors.
Speaking to Newstalk Breakfast, Ross indicated that any discussions about an €18 million bailout would have to come with conditions.
"We'd love to restore funding. We give them €2.9 million per annum. This is the first step obviously in the restoration of that. We would like to see and we will see the implementation of the corporate reforms which were recommended, before we give the cheque back."
Ross and Minster of State Brendan Griffin are to meet with Barrett today to discuss a way forward.
"I don't anticipate giving any money without conditions. I think that would be absolutely wrong. The Government's interest in this is not financial. The Government's interest in this is more societal. We want to be absolutely certain that the schoolboys and the schoolgirls and the volunteers that I see every weekend in my constituency, that they are protected. That the League of Ireland thrives and that grassroots football thrives. We don't see this as some sort of commercial return. Football is part of the fabric of society. That has got to be protected. That doesn't mean rewarding people for wrongdoing in the past."
UEFA will meet the Government and the FAI next week and European football's governing body are also likely to meet the Association's lead creditors, Bank of Ireland, to plot a path.
"The meeting is obviously to see what sort of plans the FAI have and to get all the stakeholders, to see if we can combine in a particular way to rescue football. UEFA is concerned because they are funding the FAI and they want to find out how bad the situation is and it is very very bad, and to see if there is a solution we can all work out between us."
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