The general assembly of the FAI have voted against a proposed constitutional change to allow two additional female candidates to join the board.
Under the terms of the memorandum of understanding between the Government and the FAI which led to the association's bailout in 2020, the FAI was to have 40% female representation on the board by the end of this year.
The proposed change was put forward at Thursday night's EGM to allow the FAI to comply with the directive.
However, the required 75% majority to pass the proposal was not reached and as a result €4.3m in State funding is now at risk.
Delegates were asked to vote on proposed changes to the board structure increasing the number of board members to 14 with a seven/seven split between football members and independents, thus reaching the gender quota of 40% which is key to accessing State funding.
A counter proposal from the Leinster FA to have two additional female directors added to the board, one each from the amateur and professional football constituencies, was not put to the meeting.
The FAI says it will now reflect on the decision and have a revised position for the general assembly to review at the AGM on 9 December.
An FAI statement read: "The FAI confirms that at tonight's EGM, the general assembly voted against the proposed constitutional change to allow two additional female candidates to join the FAI board.
"The required 75% majority to pass the proposal was not reached. The proposed change was put forward to address the current gender balance gap on the board and the FAI’s intention to be compliant with the Government’s directive to have 40% gender representation on its board by the end of the year.
"The FAI board will now reflect on the decision, work through the next steps, and have a revised position for the general assembly to review at the December 9th AGM. It remains the FAI’s firm position to achieve the required 40% female representation on the board."
