FAI confirm Stephen Kenny's exit as Ireland manager

Republic of Ireland head coach Stephen Kenny acknowledges the fans after the final whistle in an International Friendly match at the Aviva Stadium, Dublin. Picture date: Tuesday November 21, 2023. Niall Carson/PA Wire

A snap board meeting called for this evening brought forward the inevitability of Kenny's departure with all parties keen to avoid a pointless wait until next Tuesday when the likely outcome of a review of the campaign was known.

In a 259-word statement released by the FAI, it was explained that a presentation to the board by CEO Jonathan Hill and Director of Football Marc Canham concluded with the agreement that the 52-year-old had reached the end of the road after a difficult year featuring six competitive defeats in eight Group B games with Ireland out of the running for Euro 2024 at an early stage.

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The missive did reflect that Ireland landed a tough group with France and Netherlands, yet there was also an indirect reference to the entire qualification journey which included the Nations League - Ireland's third placed position in their group last year condemned them to third seed status and also left them too far down the playoff ladder.

"Having reviewed the Euro 2024 qualification campaign in its entirety, and recognising how difficult the Group was, the results needed to realise our goal of qualification for the Tournament were not achieved," read the FAI statement.

"The Board agrees that now is the right time for change ahead of the friendly matches in March and June 2024 and the next Nations League campaign starting in September 2024."

Hill said: “Over the period of his tenure, Stephen and his staff have worked tirelessly to create the right environment to support the development of our senior men’s team, and we are hugely grateful for that considerable contribution.

"Stephen has also overseen an important period of transition for our senior men’s national team and has given debuts to a significant number of new and younger players and this will serve as a solid platform for whoever now takes this group of players forward.”

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FAI President Gerry McAnaney added: “The Board and all at the FAI would like to sincerely thank Stephen and his staff for their hard work, professionalism and unwavering dedication to the team, the fans, and to Irish football. We wish Stephen every success for the future.”

The statement concluded by declaring that the “recruitment process for a new Head Coach is now underway.”