The FAI's treasurer, Brendan Menton, yesterday warned members of the association's National Council that the next generation of players were in danger of losing out if the association pursued the construction of the proposed Eircom Park stadium.

Speaking three days after it was revealed that advance sales of corporate boxes and premium seats fall £10 million short on what had been claimed, Menton told delegates that "it is unthinkable that our young players will be togging out in converters, in cars or on the side of the road in 2010".

He said that while the number of people playing football had tripled since Ireland's participation at the European Championships in 1988, the sacrifices required to build Eircom Park now would ensure, even if it proved to be possible, that there would be little or no investment in the grass roots of the game between now and the year 2013.

"We are competing for the hearts and minds of a generation of underage players," he observed. "We are competing head-on with the IRFU and, in particular, the GAA. They recognise this and are strategically planning accordingly. Debt could become a milestone and endanger our ability to develop the game." With regard to the costs of the proposed development, Menton reiterated his claims that the true cost involved would be around £130 million, almost double the amount originally envisaged.

He criticised the current business plan as being "fundamentally flawed" and told delegates that the failure to pass on key pieces of information, most notably a letter from Ascon (a subsidiary of the construction company HBG) that warned of "serious cost escalations", had meant that the association's directors had been deprived of their proper decision-making role.

Not even Deutsche Bank, who have been involved with the financing of Eircom Park since the project was first announced, believed that the level of debt, which he believes will now be incurred, could be sustained, he claimed.

FAI president Pat Quigley admitted after the meeting that he did not now know the real cost of proceeding with the stadium but insisted that on January 22nd, when a review of the finances is due to be completed, the association will be in a position to make an informed decision about whether to proceed or not.