With a great degree of uncertainty surrounding the FAI's financial future, Daniel McDonnell discussed the possibility of a radical change to the current hierarchical structure.
"Nothing seems too outlandish," acknowledged Daniel McDonnell of the hypothetical solutions being presented to solve the FAI's woes on Tuesday's OTB AM. "Stuff that would have once seemed completely far-fetched to even discuss, we're now at a point in the road where all options have to be considered."
The day after John Foley refused to take on the role of interim CEO for the association, it was reported on Tuesday morning that UEFA had floated the idea that the FAI could sell off their stake in the Aviva Stadium to raise some much-needed funds.
A development you can read about in greater detail here, McDonnell addressed the prospect of a complete restructuring of the association.
"I can't see it [happening], but I can't scoff at someone suggesting it either," he admitted. "That was floated, I guess, maybe not in explicit terms, but Niall Quinn mentioned that at a point in the road and could you suddenly end up with a 'Football Ireland', or some version of that."
Notably, Irish football pundit Eamon Dunphy expressly called for such change in his Irish Daily Star column.
"It's time we were finished with those people," he wrote of those longstanding members of the association. "[Take] their power away from them by folding the FAI and establishing a new Irish football authority."
Drastic action, as Dunphy acknowledges, Daniel McDonnell cannot foresee such an eventuality coming to pass.
"I think you would probably face problems with UEFA and FIFA in that regard," he suggested. "When a certain amount of funds and deals have been committed to, it would be hard to do. There would be complexities and complications.
"Ironically enough, within the FAI, it is quite usual for League of Ireland clubs to suddenly reset and appear with a new trading company as if nothing had happened. But I would imagine that it is a particularly nuclear option."
You can watch Daniel McDonnell discuss all the latest in the FAI story here.
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