FAI president Gerry McAnaney has led the tributes to long-serving employee Michael Hayes after the passing of the Waterford-born official. The sense of loss that is already so obvious within the FAI, and within Irish football, shows you the esteem in which we all held Michael Hayes. Michael was a font of knowledge around everything to do with Irish football. "Really sorry to hear of the death of Michael Hayes. Spent ages on the phone arguing with him this week, as I did nearly every week - Always a mixture of football and politics.

Source: Irish Independent September 27, 2020 20:37 UTC