Source: Daily_Mail
Newcastle face FIFA probe after Irish clubs demand £80,000 for teenager Stephen Folan
Newcastle United are being reported to FIFA by two League of Ireland clubs seeking compensation packages worth £80,000 for teenage prospect Stephen Folan. [LNB]Galway-based teams Mervue United and Salthill Devon have taken their case to FIFA's Player Status Committee based at the governing body's headquarters in Switzerland because the Premier League club refused to negotiate a financial deal after taking the 18-year-old to St James' Park two years ago. [LNB]The cases, which are strongly in the Irish clubs' favour, are expected to be heard within a fortnight. [LNB] Centre of attention: Magpies youngster Folan (right) is tipped for the top[LNB]But a FIFA spokesman told Sportsmail: 'The matter is pending with our services and the proceedings are still ongoing. Therefore, currently we cannot comment on the issue.' [LNB]Newcastle United were unavailable for comment. [LNB]Under new FIFA regulations, clubs outside of a senior club's geographical area are entitled to £10,000 for every year a player is registered with them from the age of 12. [LNB]Once the player reaches 15, clubs can increase their claim to £50,000 per year of registration. [LNB]Another Irish team, Cregmore Claregalway FC, have already received £20,000 from Manchester City for Greg Cunningham under the protection scheme. [LNB]Ironically Mervue United took less than they were entitled to after they negotiated a deal directly with the world's richest club to recognise their part in the development of Cunningham, who is currently on loan at Leicester City and made his first start for Giovanni Trapattoni's senior Republic of Ireland team against Norway last week. [LNB]Folan, an Ireland Under 17 international, is now an established member of Newcastle's Academy squad and hopes are high among the coaching staff that he will eventually make the breakthrough to the first team. [LNB]He joined Mervue United at the age of 10, and left aged 15. Under FIFA rules, the club, who last month just survived relegation from the second tier of Irish football, the Airtricity League first division, are entitled to £30,000 for the three years he was registered to play competitive football for them. [LNB]After Mervue, Folan briefly joined Galway Hibernians who have decided not to pursue a claim. [LNB]He then joined Salthill Devon, another small club who won promotion from the A Championship last season, finished bottom of the first division below Mervue but secured their status with a play-off win over Cobh Ramblers earlier this month. [LNB]The boss: Newcastle manager Hughton[LNB]Folan was 16 when he left for Newcastle in a blaze of local publicity. His final game and farewell celebrations in 2008 are featured on the club website. [LNB]Salthill now have a claim in for £50,000 from Newcastle because he was 16 when he left. [LNB]Mervue secretary Ray McDonnell said the club had learned lessons from the Cunningham deal but contacted Newcastle before taking their case to football's governing body in Zurich. [LNB]McDonnell said: 'They made us an offer which we didn't feel wasacceptable and we have tried to contact them by email and telephone butwe have had no contact since August 15. [LNB]'We looked into the legislation, particularly after the experiencewith Manchester City and Greg Cunningham, and discovered what we wereentitled to so we submitted a claim to FIFA. [LNB]'We are waiting to hear the outcome and we have been told it will be settled in the very near future. [LNB] 'We are still willing to negotiate with Newcastle. We are not trying to screw anybody. It is simply what we are entitled to under FIFA's rules. [LNB]'We found out that Dublin clubs were taking a lot of 15-year-old boys from this area, offering them trials with English clubs and then pocketing a fee. [LNB]'We have stopped that. The money is recognition for what we have done by coaching Stevie from a very young age. [LNB]'Our club is the heart of the community. And any penny we can get to help us is very welcome, particularly when we are entitled to it.' [LNB]Salthill Devon chairman Rob Meehan said Newcastle contacted his club after their application was lodged with FIFA but they have still been unable to reach an agreement. [LNB]He says they are still hoping to negotiate with Newcastle and could even establish a partnership with former Ireland international Chris Hughton's outfit so underage teams could travel between England and Ireland for friendly matches. [LNB]The club have successfully negotiated deals with professional sides in the past and in the last two years Joe O'Brien has moved to Celtic from Salthill and Joe Shaugnessy has joined Aberdeen. [LNB]And Meehan said: 'We have good relationships with other clubsbecause it is the player who comes first in every case and we doeverything to help players move to England or Scotland. It does ourreputation no harm at all to have players going on to be successfulover there. [LNB]'We were eager to avoid the route of going to FIFA but there was atime restriction on our claim and we made Newcastle aware of that. [LNB] Highest level: City starlet Cunningham (right) has represented his country[LNB]'Because of the amount of money involved we would still be seeking some sort of payment but we would like to establish some sort of partnership and we are still open to discuss that. [LNB]'We put huge resources into the club, and we all work on a voluntary basis. FIFA is there for this sort of thing and of course the money will be pumped back into the club. [LNB]'It is harder than ever to get sponsorship so this sort of legislation can be used to put investment back in and help us to continue to do the good work we like to think we are doing.' [LNB]Mervue are looking to build on surviving in the first division for a second successive season and after investing the money from the Cunningham deal on floodlights and three caged five-a-side pitches for an academy which serves 140 children aged six to 10, the club have plans for the money due from Newcastle. [LNB]An ongoing building programme to fence their Terryland Park ground needs funding.[LNB] The club will celebrate its 50th anniversary next year and Manchester City youngster Cunningham, whose twin brother Dan still plays for the club, will be guest of honour at their dinner dance on July 2. [LNB]Cunningham is still a regular visitor to Terryland Park and McDonnell hopes Folan will follow him into the Premier League. [LNB]'He stood out from a very young age,' McDonnell said. 'When he started playing competitively at 12 he was an inside midfielder or centre-forward who scored a few goals but the potential we saw in him was as a defender and one of the reasons he left us was because he didn't like playing in defence. [LNB]'And now he is doing very well, I understand, as a left-back at Newcastle. It was obviously a very exciting day for the club when Greg played for Ireland. He is the best possible ambassador we could hope to have. [LNB]'He is a lovely, level-headed lad who went to City because he could continue his education, and that came first for him. [LNB]'He turned down a move to an apartment in Manchester because he wanted to stay in the family home where he has stayed since he moved over. [LNB]'He doesn't drink or gamble and he has never been interested in anything else other than football and I can honestly say, hand on heart, that he will never change.' 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