FAI order independent review into Athlone Town

Following Athlone Town’s failure to field a team for their recent SSE Airtricity League First Division meeting with Waterford United, the FAI have ordered an independent review to be undertaken on the club’s operations.

Fran Gavin – Director of the League of Ireland – along with chairman Eamon Naughton met with representatives of the club before calling for the review.

The Westmeath side’s players reportedly refused to make the trip to Waterford for their game on June 3 after failure on the club’s behalf to pay members of their playing squad.

An official FAI statement released on Monday evening reads:

“The Football Association of Ireland has ordered an independent interim review of Athlone Town FC after a meeting between SSE Airticity League Director Fran Gavin, League Chairman Eamon Naughton and representatives of the club, after its failure to fulfil their fixture versus Waterford United on June 3.

“The Board of the Football Association of Ireland will appoint an Independent person to meet with all of the relevant stakeholders of Athlone Town FC, including the Chairman, Board members, Management and Players, as well as supporters groups and potential investors, to discuss recent issues and the long-term future of the club.

“Once the independent interim review is complete, the findings will be presented to the FAI.”

When the news broke on Friday that the fixture would not go ahead, Gavin was quick to condemn Athlone.

We take this matter extremely seriously and will be charging Athlone for failing to fulfil the fixture and for bringing the game into disrepute," he said in a statement.

"This is totally unacceptable. To be notified on the afternoon of an SSE Airtricity League fixture that a club cannot field a team is simply not good enough."

Currently, the club sit seventh in the First Division table, just one point above bottom-placed Cabinteely.