Howard Wells was axed from the Irish FA position in October

Former Irish Football Association chief executive Howard Wells is still waiting to be given a reason for his controversial sacking six weeks ago.

Wells breaks his silence in an interview with BBC Northern Ireland's Season Ticket programme on Wednesday.

The ex-IFA chief says he was "shocked" by the governing body's organisation when he took the role in late 2004.

"I asked for copies of budgets to find that there weren't any which set off a few warning bells," added Wells.

"Once I got there, I realised I was going to be required to do a proper job and not a popular job.

"I could see very quickly that there were issues to deal with financial management and the general running of the place that really did shock me.

"Data on player registration, competitions was on one stand-alone Apple Mac computer which didn't exactly fill me with great confidence that we were going about the business with any kind of professionalism."

IFA president Raymond Kennedy, who along with vice-president David Martin informed Wells of his sacking in a hand-delivered letter, insists that the governing body is not in crisis despite the recent upheaval.

Mr Kennedy tells Season Ticket that there were "bona fide" reasons for Wells' dismissal.

I have never ever compromised myself professionally Howard Wells

The IFA president is not prepared to go into detail for legal reasons but does add that they were not connected with policy matters or because of a personality clash.

Kennedy does acknowledge that grievance cases taken by Wells against his employers did contribute to the Englishman's enforced departure.

The BBC understands that three of the grievances cases have been upheld in Wells' favour although the ex-IFA chief refused to comment on that issue.

He does insist that he did not taken the grievances cases against his own employers to engineer an exit strategy for himself.

"I always believe that you get up in the morning, look in the mirror and as long as you are honest and consistent with that person that you see and try to do a fair job by that person, then you will carry on and get things more right than wrong.

"I am the sort of person that has some very strong principles about the way I work, the way I believe.

"I have never ever compromised myself professionally and at no time have I ducked issues."

Also in the Season Ticket programme, Wells answers criticism about his failure to tender for a contract which put a new ticketing system in place at the IFA.

He also responds to misgivings about how he appointed a television executive to negotiate a multi-million pound TV contract with Sky.

Kennedy says the grievance cases did contribute to Wells' sacking

The dispute surrounding Wells' sacking appears likely to end in the courts but the IFA is pressing ahead with plans to advertise for a new chief executive.

The Government had a major input in Wells' appointment in November 2004 and also paid his salary for the first three years of his tenure.

Raymond Kennedy tells Season Ticket that the next IFA chief executive will be "our appointment".

"The new chief executive will be totally funded from our wage roll," adds the IFA president.

"The new chief executive's role will be slightly different.

"The new chief executive will have to be keeping an eye on the corporate governance so that we don't slip back.

"The man that I will be looking for is someone that will have right down the chain, right from the top, right down to the grass roots and pushing the domestic grass roots, international football - everything across the board.

"My vision will not change and that is to promote, foster and develop football at all levels across the province."

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