A major report into governance at the Football Association of Ireland has recommended that up to two members of the current board should remain in place.
The final report of the FAI Governance Review Group, published this morning, has found "significant shortcomings in the functioning" of the football association's current board.
The eight-week root and branch investigation of the association's structures was established after a string of controversies earlier this year.
FAI board
The entire board has already indicated its intention to step down; however, the report has now recommended that "at least one" and a possible maximum of two should remain in place to ensure continuity.
The finding comes after the Sports Minister Shane Ross said he expects all members of the FAI board to honour to keep their promise and step down next month.
It said the new board should have 12 members and six directors - and finds that this "interim" board should remain in place until July 2020.
It recommends that at least one third of these should be female.
State funding
Sport Ireland took the decision to suspend and withhold funding to the FAI in April after the association admitted in front of an Oireachtas Committee that it broke State funding rules.
It came after the association failed to inform Sport Ireland of a €100,000 loan former CEO John Delaney handed the organisation out of his own pocket in April 2017.
The Governance Review was set up as a joint partnership between the FAI and Sport Ireland as a pre-condition for the restoration of the funding.
The 130-page review made a total of 78 recommendations for improving governance at the FAI.
"Need for change"
It was launched at a press conference at the FAI headquarters in Abbotstown this morning and will be put to a vote at the upcoming FAI AGM in Trim on July 27th.
Two thirds of the of the 206 delegates at the AGM will need to approve it to pass the recommendations.
Speaking at the launch this morning FAI President Donal Conway said the board accepts that "there is a need for change and that we have a huge opportunity now to implement best practice in governance across the Association."
"The Board has given a commitment to implement the changes contained in this report and it will now be up to our members to endorse the changes required which we will bring to them in July," he said.
Sport Ireland Chairman Kieran Mulvey said it will be "up to the new Board of the FAI to show leadership in the implementation of these critical, yet achievable, recommendations."
"The timely implementation of these reforms is important in the restoration of public trust and confidence in the FAI," he said.
