Big calls ahead for FAI with Stephen Kenny on the brink

Stephen Kenny's reign as Republic of Ireland boss looks like it's about to reach its conclusion.

The Boys in Green ended their 2023 with a lacklustre 1-1 draw against New Zealand on Tuesday night, with Kenny admitting afterwards his time could be up.

"It may well be my last match," he said. "If it is, so be it, because I've had the privilege of managing my country. Sport is ruthless. People get impatient and I understand that because we all want to qualify for tournaments. We'll have to see."

It's almost certain his fate will be sealed at a meeting of the FAI board on Tuesday, 28 November, when a full review of the Euro 2024 qualification campaign will be presented by director of football Marc Canham.

At the end of August, the FAI board reviewed the Republic of Ireland's women's team World Cup qualification campaign and subsequent appearance at the tournament in Australia. By the end of that meeting, it was decided that Vera Pauw would not be kept on as boss.

The association has yet to appoint a permanent successor to Pauw, with Eileen Gleeson taking charge of the team's UEFA Nations League campaign on an interim basis. With four wins out of four and promotion to League A achieved, that decision has been vindicated. It is anticipated that the FAI will name a new women's manager before Christmas having identified 12 potential candidates and whittled it down to a short list of three.

The process of replacing Kenny - again led by Canham - may take considerably longer. Previously the FAI have appointed a board of experts to help identify managerial candidates, it is not known if that will be the case under Canham.

The Boys in Green do not have a competitive game until the 2024 UEFA Nations League begins next September. It's