SOCCER: GIOVANNI TRAPATTONI was not available for comment last night but his advisers confirmed that the manager had been contacted by the FAI on Wednesday night in order to inform him directly that he was still in the hot seat as Republic of Ireland manager.

The Trapattoni camp continue, however, to regard the accusation that he does not travel to England to watch Irish players in Premier League or Championship action as “ridiculous” given that Trapattoni’s trusted number two, Marco Tardelli, sees Irish players in action every weekend, whilst the manager himself watches a large number of DVDs of his squad panel in league action.

Furthermore, the camp insist that veteran manager has more than full confidence in Tardelli’s opinions and analysis and that, if and when Tardelli thinks Trapattoni should travel to England to watch a particular player, he does so.

Trapattoni himself told this reporter earlier this year he spends a lot of time on the phone with various club managers trying to ascertain whether it is worth his time to travel over for a game, given that several Ireland squad players are not guaranteed to make the starting eleven at their respective clubs.

With reference to Trapattoni’s cancelled press conference Wednesday morning in Dublin, his advisers continue to offer a radically different version of events to that of the FAI.

Trapattoni wanted to do that press conference, they claim, but he was told by the FAI that it had been cancelled because the FAI board had to meet in order to assess important economic issues and then take a decision – presumably regarding the Italian’s future as Ireland manager.

Trapattoni travelled back to Dublin with the team on Tuesday evening but, after being informed that there would be no press conference, he headed back to Milan early Wednesday morning, having had just three hours sleep.

The Trapattoni camp insist that their man had been ready and more than willing to do his usual “day-after” press briefing.

There is confusion, too, as to just how it was reported that Trapattoni had to get back to Milan quickly to visit his sick sister. Trapattoni does indeed have a sick sister but she has been in a coma for over a year now and was not the subject of any particular crisis this week.

It could be that Trapattoni himself, inadvertently, set that story running since reporters on Tuesday night heard him make reference to his “sick sister”.

As of now, Trapattoni is keen to see some written confirmation of his post-Germany situation.

Inevitably, he and his team want to understand what, if anything, is meant by the final words in Wednesday night’s FAI statement to the effect that the FAI will “continue to work closely with the manager”.

Trapattoni also wants to be reassured that his confirmation in the job also applies to his back-room staff and, above all, to number two Marco Tardelli.

The 73-year-old has always hoped that Tardelli might succeed him as Ireland manager.

In current circumstances, however, that development seems highly unlikely.