The announcement of the new Republic of Ireland boss seems likely to be delayed by the latest crisis engulfing the Football Association of Ireland.

The FAI has launched an internal inquiry into a �100,000 bonus payment to former manager Mick McCarthy.

A meeting of the FAI's board of management has been arranged for Friday afternoon and the payment to McCarthy is reported to be the only item on the agenda.

The meeting will examine allegations that a senior FAI official encouraged McCarthy to seek the bonus before signing his new contract last summer.

Menton statement

The bonus was seen as a reward for the Republic's fine showing in the World Cup finals in Japan and Korea.

But some within the association believe that �100,000 could have been saved if McCarthy's contract extension had been signed earlier.

In February 2002, McCarthy had received a salary increase of almost 100%, taking him to �350,000 a year.

The FAI's then general secretary Brendan Menton was criticised in some quarters for not getting McCarthy to sign his contract extension sooner.

What is being implied is that after saying that the deal was done, I withheld McCarthy's signature Mick McCarthy's agent Liam Gaskin

However, Menton said the deal had been held up because of a problem arising over McCarthy's separate boot sponsorship.

If proved, the latest allegations would clear Menton of any blame in the affair and the former FAI general secretary is understood to have given a sworn statement on the matter in recent days.

Mick McCarthy's agent Liam Gaskin has threatened to take legal action if he does not receive an apology over the affair.

"What is being implied is that after saying that the deal was done, I withheld his (McCarthy's) signature until I got the sum of money from them," Gaskin told the Irish Times.

"Word travels fast in this business and I won't have it said that that is the way I do things".