Graham Gartland believes Marc Canham was not fully prepared for how "fractured" the game is in Ireland when he took on the role of the FAI's director of football.
Having previously served as the English Premier League's director of coaching, Canham arrived here in June 2022, effectively replacing former high performance director Ruud Dokter.
Canham's title was changed to chief football officer in September 2024 in what was viewed as a vote of confidence from the FAI in the 42-year-old's capabilities. He was central to the appointments of men's boss Heimir Hallgrimsson and women's head coach Carla Ward.
The Englishman's most significant and far-reaching impact, however, arguably came with the publication of the FAI's Football Pathways Plan, which aims to align the football calendar and improve the overall health of the game here from the grassroots up.
There has been, and continues to be, some resistance to the vision outlined in the document, but Canham won't be here to see it through, confirming on Tuesday he intends to return to England with his family.
"My initial reaction was, I was surprised to see him go," said former Shamrock Rovers and Drogheda United defender Gartland.
"Obviously they put a lot of things in place the last few years and they're pushing the Government to give them funds, so I thought he would have seen that through.
"That fact he only done an interview there recently, talking about building for the future, there was an element of surprise he has left. There's also elements that, he's been here three yearss, he's fighting so many fires on all different fronts and he's probably thinking, 'my family mightn't have settled', and he's probably just decided, 'well I might be better off if I just return home'.
"He's obviously made that decision. He's said it's for personal reasons, you have to respect that as well and take a man on his word."
"Securing funds for the FAI from the government is the biggest thing because it allows us to do all the other things."
Canham has come under fire a few times during his tenure. The process to replace Stephen Kenny was drawn-out and confusing, with mixed messages around the timeline of an appointment. Recently, his handling of Colin Healy's exit from the Republic of Ireland women's backroom setup angered some of the players, with Denise O'Sullivan saying the association's treatment of Healy "lacked class".
Gartland said Canham did not handle every situation as well as he could have, but he has weighed unin behind the principles laid out in the Football Pathways Plan.
"Everything needs to be aligned in the country for the country to succeed in football terms," he said.
"The national league in this country isn't aligned with what the schoolboys and what that section does. We're one of the only countries in Europe to not be aligned. If all these other top countries are doing these things, why can't we replicate that?
"So I think for him to implement that is the right decision. There's still work to be done in terms of facilities, I think there's still work to be done in terms of infrastructure around academies. That's why I believed he was going to see it through. I'm surprised that he hasn't.
"Obviously implementing that has upset a few people but it doesn't mean it's the wrong thing to do. It's one of the ways we can try and make Ireland a successful nation in football terms, by producing our own players, qualifying for tournaments and having a real football industry in this country. We've a good bit to go on that."
Canham will stay in his position as the FAI conducts a handover, potentially to an interim chief football officer before they find a permanent successor.
Whoever that is, Gartland says they must be aware of the landscape they're coming into, and continue to push for crucial government funding.
"I don't think Marc Canham realised how fractured Irish football was before he took this job, and all the diffrent entities and what he has to deal with, whether it's people getting on to him for not doing this, or certain things... I don't believe he realised it was as fractured as it actually is," he added.
"Securing funds for the FAI from the Government is the biggest thing because it allows us to do all the other things. It allows us to implement money into the academies, it allows us to fund the youth teams in the FAI, the underage sections, it allows us to put money into infrastructure.
"But that's the hardest bit because why would the Government give money to the FAI when they've already bailed them out? It's such a hard job to go to somebody who's already bailed you out and go, 'actually could you give us a bit more funds?' It's very hard because you've no leverage in that situation.
"Negotiating with someone who's already done you a favour is a really tough thing to do."
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