"MISSING" IRELAND SHIRT.LET DOWN BY FAI

The shirt was given by me personally to a member of the FAI staff that look after the Senior team in late 2015.

The shirt,i am told remained unsigned thru out 2016 and i contacted them at various times looking for an update. I was told it was in hand. The last confirmation being on the 10th May 2016 that it would get done.

It has come to my attention now thanks to Ybiggers that a very similar shirt, that was signed, was sold on DoneDeal.ie on the 2nd April 2016.

Take a look at the picture.The top one is my shirt BEFORE it was given to the FAI,the bottom one was sold on DoneDeal.

No doubt in my mind that is my shirt. Look at the angle of the crest, the placement of the match details/flags and number. Even look at the crease in the collar.

The staff member in question no longer works for the FAI and did not reply to me after the 10th May 2016 or even now even tho i am told their contact details are the same.


It has also been stated to me that the shirt was sold after having been "won" at a raffle for a certain charity but i have contacted the charity and they have no record of receiving funds for this. I believe it was sold for a very high price also.


I am not saying that the shirt was deliberately "lost or taken" or that the ex-employee did anything wrong but the fact is that the shirt now cannot be located by the FAI and i think i was lied to about its location all along,instead of just telling me and being honest about it. I have spent the last two weeks privately trying to resolve this matter with the FAI with no success.

ALL I WANT IS THE SHIRT BACK.

I have spent the last 14 years trying to preserve aspects of our footballing history for future generations to enjoy and promote the concept of a football museum in this country,NOT FOR MONEY, but because i believe that it can and will inspire future generations. The FAI should have been doing this all along themselves in any event.

I even raised the issue of doing a book for Charity with the FAI that would have involved minimum input from the FAI but again their LACK of response was uninspiring if not unsurprising.

I am now informed by the Gardai that i will have to issue civil legal proceedings against the FAI to try and get the matter resolved as Data Protection laws mean DoneDeal.ie will not release info unless they have a Gardai request.

drog addict wrote: Did you pay for the shirt?

Irrelevant if it was paid for or gifted . The chap owned it and it was given in good faith .

greenforever wrote: Am I right in saying that the person you gave the shirt to is the now ex employee, and the person you were dealing with all along? From what you say, its a simple matter of theft, but legally as you gave the shirt in good faith, it may be impossible to do anything about it. <span style="line-height: 1.4;"> </span> <span style="line-height: 1.4;">either way best of luck in getting it back. </span>

Yes it was the same and only person I was dealing with.they have now left the Fai.

FREEWHEELER wrote: FFS what a fooking asswipe, doing that on ya Eddie.

I don't believe it was done with intent FW but I feel they knew it was "misplaced" long before they confirmed it to me today. But again only after I had to chase them for two weeks.

I made it clear i didn't want to air the matter publicly but I don't feel this was handled well and I feel very let down by the FAI to be honest.

Just text them saying that you are going to put their name out there in the public and you have no other choice unless they want to help you retrieve the jersey . After all someone has profited from the jersey . Put the issue on FAI FB page and the Irish supporters FB page . I'm sure there are plenty of eyes wTching who know something about it . If tried to do it the decent way . some times you just got to get tough with people .

The shirt was lost in the fai's care.

It is well within the powers of the FAI to stump up an alternative shirt, or even a better shirt for any false stringalong that happened that made the situation worse and harder to resolve.

Its not like you have just walked off the street and claimed someone robbed your shirt. They know you, they know they had the shirt, and now they're ducking for cover.

You have gone above and beyond to give them a chance to sort it amicably and in private. I wouldn't have that level of restraint, so fair play. It makes them look even worse now - its one thing to mess up once (losing the shirt), another thing to drag heels and string along (saying the shirt was there), and another further still to fail to meaningfully engage when things finally come to a head.

I'd say it is shameful behaviour, but alas someone without shame cannot be shamed.

Was this a real physical museum? Was it hanging on a wall on display and then suddenly ended up on donedeal?

Go to the individual and threaten to name and shame...... social media is a powerful tool.