TV View: A few years back the mayor of Greensboro, North Carolina, suggested that death-row inmates be cryogenically frozen so that if it were ever proven that they were, in fact, innocent of the crime of which they were convicted, they could be brought back to life and freed, writes Mary Hannigan.

Some folks laughed at this proposal, suggesting that, perhaps, the mayor had mislaid his marbles and was unlikely to find them again. But maybe they were too hasty with their dismissal of the idea. There are other areas of life where it might just work: like the Football Association of Ireland.

If it were possible for senior members, past and present, of the FAI to be cryogenically frozen and brought back to life only when it was categorically proven that (a) they'd get on with the business of doing the best for Irish football and put their, um, differences aside and (b) they would never, ever utter the syllables "Sai" and "Pan" again, then Merrion Square could shelve the Genesis Report and adopt the mayor of Greensboro's plan of (in)action.

True, Brendan Menton, a guest on Friday's Late Late Show, is entitled to his say on the whole affair, not least because he feels he was seriously hard done by in some of the accounts of what did and didn't happen in ****** (before, during and after), but for non-FAI folk this business is taking on an eyes-glazing-over quality.

Take the current Irish captain, Kenny Cunningham. He's having a blinder of a season so far: played nine games for Birmingham, during which his defence has kept eight clean sheets. He turns up on Sky Sports' Goals On Sunday yesterday, preparing to blush at the compliments that would inevitably be showered on him.

But? "Can I go back to the (Irish) captaincy. The circumstances surrounding Roy Keane . . . all that," says Chris Kamara. "I'm not trying to burst your balloon," he says, having just inserted a pin in our Kenny's Sunday morning, "but, you were there when it happened, what was your take on it?"

"Zzzzzzz," says Cunningham, his head collapsing on to his right shoulder.

But, such is the nature of the man (who one commentator rechristened Cunny Kenningham), he smiled, took a deep breath, and answered the question, politely, heroically resisting the sighs that must have been screaming to get out.

"It was a difficult time, I don't think any one came out of it with any credit, to be honest with you," he said. "Roy was an inspiration throughout the qualifiers, it was just a shame he couldn't lead us out at the World Cup." Full stop.

Full stop? Oh Lordy, if only. The Battle of the Boyne took place 313 years ago but there are those amongst us who still categorise it under Current Affairs. Which means the Battle of Saipan will still be heatedly debated in and around 2316.

Menton described the FAI as a "funny organisation", but, like the rest of us, wasn't laughing, and the atmosphere in Merrion Square as "poisonous". He insisted, though, that he'd "moved on", before adding "there are solicitor's letters outstanding between myself and the association over this issue (the dispute over Mick McCarthy's "bonus"), and unless they deal with the issue properly I will progress it". A new definition of "moving on".

Menton, who is currently stationed in Kuala Lumpur as special development consultant to the Asian Football Confederation, also told us, with a grin, when questioned about the fact that Irish football has no international home to call its own - and will have to play its home games in front of no more than 22,000 people at Lansdowne Road from this day forth - that we can all "come to Malaysia, there's fabulous facilities out there".

At which point he lost most of the audience's sympathy. Kerr's Green and White Army are happy to travel anywhere, except, perhaps, to Kuala Lumpur for home games.

Back to real life. Charles Mbabazi Livingstone and Richard Sadlier. Both have had to retire from football for medical reasons, Livingstone (St Patrick's Athletic) last week, Sadlier (Millwall) last month.

"He illuminated our league," as Pat Dolan said of Livingstone before yesterday's FAI Cup final, after heart problems forced the young Ugandan to retire last week.

Hip problems led to Sadlier quitting the game last month. Sadlier, who appeared on The Dunphy Show (with his father in the audience), came over as a pure gem of a young fella, and left you feeling reassured that he'll be grand, whatever path he chooses to take.

The rest can bicker about

"Sai" "Pan" forever, but Livingstone and Sadlier will get on with life.