Duff Apologizes to FAI Staff for 'Regrettable' Comments.

Posted 2 months ago

Shelbourne manager Damien Duff recently sent a letter of apology to Football Association of Ireland (FAI) staff following his controversial comment about potentially dismissing 90% of the organization's workforce.

Damien Duff, Shelbourne's manager and former Blackburn and Chelsea midfielder, made critical remarks about the Football Association of Ireland (FAI) during a press conference before his team's Uefa Conference League match against St Joseph's of Gibraltar.

"I would - how would I word it - raze Abbotstown to the ground because it's the most uninviting, unenthusiastic workplace, not in world football but in the world," he stated, referring to the FAI's headquarters. "So I'd level it and I would probably sack 90% of the workforce."

Duff later expressed regret in an open letter to the FAI staff, acknowledging his comments were "disrespectful" and "ridiculous."

"I knew it was wrong when I said it and it is all I have thought about since," the 45-year-old wrote. "You are all working hard for the benefit of Irish football, trying to pay bills, support families, and pay mortgages, and frankly, it was a ridiculous comment."