The war of words between the FAI and Marc MacSharry escalated on Thursday night.
Earlier in the day, independent FAI chairperson Roy Barrett responded to the Sligo-Leitrim TD's repeated criticisms of proposed governance reform at the association.
Barrett pointed to a January 30 statement from the TD, which said, "Today can be considered a fresh start for the Association. The conditions set out must be adhered to.
"We need to ensure the mistakes of the past are not replicated in the future."
'The entire tone of your approach to me is that in some way I'm here batting for the old regime, and you're wrong' | #FAI
Fianna Fáil TD Marc MacSharry explained why he has become outspoken on the FAI in recent months | #OTBAM
Full Interview ➡️ https://t.co/zLlpQ87wQ6 pic.twitter.com/Ri0FzVABVZ— Off The Ball (@offtheball) August 6, 2020
The reforms will be discussed and debated at Friday's special FAI Council meeting before the association holds an EGM later this month.
Barrett added, "It is vital that we don’t lose sight of the perilous financial situation that the Association was in last January and continues to face today."
Deputy MacSharry was a guest on Thursday morning's OTB AM, "Unfortunately, the last six months bears a level of grubbiness that doesn't quite match the mistakes of the past, but doesn't augur well and doesn't sit well with me."
Eight current FAI directors requested on Wednesday night that the association's interim CEO Gary Owens "clarify remarks" he made in a press conference earlier that day.
Owens claimed that directors had a chance to review the Memorandum of Understanding with the government and signed it before the agreement was reached for a financial rescue package.
The eight directors claim they were "alarmed" by the comments and insist they didn't sign off on the document beforehand.
Barrett says the Board had accepted that the overriding need was to ensure the financial future.
And in a further statement to OTB Sports on Thursday night, Deputy MacSharry says when he made his statement on January 30, he had not been given a copy of the memorandum of understanding, "but then again neither had any members of the FAI council at that stage.
Marc MacSharry statement to OTB Sports:
On January 30th I welcomed the announcement of the return of funding to the FAI from the state through Sport Ireland. I assumed all principles of good corporate governance had underpinned the process which appeared to conclude that day.
I had not been given a copy of the MOU, but then again neither had any members of the FAI council at that stage.
I assumed it reflected the terms of the Horan Governance Review Group Report which all in politics welcomed the previous July.
In the weeks that followed I became aware of a number of governance issues which encouraged me to confer widely and research the details and circumstances concerned which informed both of my contributions to Dail Eireann on the matter and followed up in numerous media interviews.
I stand over the accuracy of those contributions as confirmed by a majority of the board of the FAI last evening.
