Shelbourne manager Damien Duff has claimed he didn't mean to say that the FAI's search for a new manager was "embarrassing."
This quest to find a new man has entered its 15th week, and names like Chris Coleman and John O'Shea have been added and removed from the shortlist.
This week, the Football Association of Ireland (FAI) director of football, Marc Canham, said that the organisation is "getting closer" to appointing a new Republic of Ireland manager to succeed Stephen Kenny this week.
Former Ireland international Duff is one of many who are frustrated with the FAI's drawn-out process for a Stephen Kenny replacement and used the word "embarrassing" last week to describe the hunt: “It's getting embarrassing now; I won't lie to you. I'm not sure how long it can take to appoint a manager. Am I following it with interest? To be brutally honest, no."
Duff has now clarified his comments and admits he finds it hard to believe it takes four months to find a new Ireland manager. This is because he's a snappy decision-maker, unlike the FAI.
Dublin , Ireland - 20 February 2024; FAI director of football Marc Canham and League of Ireland director Mark Scanlon, left, during a media briefing for the FAI's Football Pathways Plan at Aviva Stadium in Dublin. (Photo By Stephen McCarthy/Sportsfile via Getty Images)"I said the word embarrassing the other night, and I didn’t mean to say it," he added
“I get that their line of work is about process; do this and do that. I’m an overnight, snappy decision-maker. I don’t see how it should take four months to appoint someone. I really don’t. I find it crazy.
“We’re all different animals. I’m a man who likes to make decisions quickly. Four months seems long.”
A number of candidates have been ruled out, including Duff already. When asked last week if he had any contact with the FAI to replace Kenny, the two-time Premier League winner said "no."
“Did I have any contact, eh?. Have they not announced it yet?. How do I word this? Maybe through someone, someone asked me if I would be interested in speaking to someone.
“Obviously, my answer was no. But how real it was, I don't know. I'm sure it was just a box ticker because it was never going to happen, and it's never going to happen anytime soon.”
