A meeting next Wednesday of the FAI's Board of Management scheduled to consider rule changes intended to pave the way to a radically altered management structure looks set to be dominated instead by a row concerning new chief executive Fran Rooney, writes Emmet Malone.

Rooney's management style and contract demands are said to have caused severe tensions within the leadership of the organisation.

The problems emerged when a number of aspects of the contract negotiations became public earlier this week. Supporters and critics of the association's chief executive blame each other for the leak with one side claiming the intention was to undermine the new man by exaggerating the scale of the claim. The other camp insists reports that he would resign if his terms weren't met were meant to inject a sense of urgency into the process.

By yesterday, however, there were suggestions of considerable disquiet amongst some senior members of the association over the way Rooney has performed in the role so far. They are said to be concerned, in particular, over his increased reliance on outside consultants in the day-to-day running of the association and, it is alleged, his attitude towards the existing management and committee structures within the organisation.

One issue cited is the recent dispute over the eligibility to compete in this season's Carlsberg-sponsored FAI Cup of players who competed in last season's junior or intermediate competitions.

Both sides appear to agree that in dealing with the issue Rooney disregarded a decision made by the relevant internal committee by seeking agreement from all of the competing clubs that the problem be, in effect, simply ignored.

While some describe the move as having been "a common sense" solution, others feel that it compromised the integrity of the association's structures and that it is symptomatic of a broader disregard for the system within which he is supposed to operate.

Concerns have also been raised in various quarters over the growing influence of outside consultants like Conroy and O'Rourke on the public relations side as well as human resources specialist Tadgh O'Halloran who, like Declan Conroy, is a former employee of Aer Lingus.

The various problems, however, have been highlighted by reports over his contract negotiations, which remain, not for the first time in recent FAI history, far from complete months after they were supposed to have been agreed.

Rooney arrived in the FAI over four months ago but negotiations over the precise nature of his remuneration package have been sporadic with the process initially delayed for a considerable period because, he said, his solicitors were considering the initial document put before him.

Having been widely quoted upon his appointment as being more concerned with the challenge presented by the post than the financial package that went with it Rooney, who has been a millionaire since his days with Baltimore Technologies, is reported to have come back in July with a wide range of changes to the original document.

He reportedly suggested the deletion of a detailed schedule of his duties and responsibilities, suggesting that a single paragraph to the effect that he would have the normal responsibilities associated with a company chief executive be inserted instead.

It is also understood that he sought potential bonuses of in excess of 75 per cent of his €250,000 basic salary in the event that various targets, which were to be negotiated, were achieved.

In addition, there is also said to have been a suggestion that he receive up to five per cent of new commercial revenues above €5 million.

As part of the originally proposed package which was approved by the association's remuneration committee it was envisaged that a figure equivalent to 10 per cent of the salary figure would be paid to the new man in the form of pension contributions.

There are reports that Rooney sought to have this figure increased to 25 per cent although his supporters dispute this. They add that the various proposals are, in any case, no more than an opening position taken in anticipation of negotiations.

The problems seem certain to escalate, however, in the wake of reports that four of the association's five-man officer board oppose rewarding Rooney on anything like the scale proposed by his side and accusations that their resistance is, in reality, born out of a continuing reluctance to accept the level of change that the new man is bringing to the organisation.

Nobody from the FAI was available to discuss any of the issues involved yesterday.

Shelbourne, meanwhile, have been told after a meeting of the association's Domestic Committee that if the club wishes to have the matter of referee Dave McKeon's failure to send Gareth Gorman off after showing the Sligo player a second yellow card in last week's FAI Cup replay considered by the FAI it will have to lodge a formal complaint.

There were reports that the club have also been told that the normal four working days limit on protests applies and that, with the game having taken place last Thursday, the club would therefore have to have responded by last night in order to be able to pursue the matter.

When contacted last night Shelbourne chief executive Ollie Byrne said that he had not discussed the matter with anybody else at the club since the meeting and that he did not expect the club to make any public response before this evening's UEFA Cup game against Olimpija Ljubljana at Tolka Park.

Informed of the suggestion that the club's four days were about to run out, he replied with considerable sarcasm, "Well, if they suggested that they must know what they're doing."