Munster Rugby and the Irish Rugby Football Union (IRFU) have revealed Ian Flanagan will step down from his CEO role at the club.
Flanagan has informed the Board of Munster Rugby that he will step down from his role at the end of October.
The departing CEO said, “Leading my home province has been a huge privilege. I would like to thank the many people I have worked alongside during my time with Munster Rugby, including our volunteers, staff, sponsors, coaches and players.
“I would also like to thank our supporters for their unwavering commitment to Munster Rugby over many years. I wish the province every success in the future.”
During his time at the reigns he played a central role in the development of the €7.3m Centre of Excellence in Cork. Munster also won the 2022/23 URC title after a 12-year drought during his stint as CEO. However, Flanagan had drawn some criticism over a number of decisions made during his tenure.
Flanagan’s resignation comes just four months after an independent review into the governance of the organisation was commissioned by Munster Rugby. The findings have not yet been made public.
Roger Randle’s short-lived appointment as attack coach drew backlash from many Munster Rugby fans due to allegations against the Kiwi coach. The decision eventually led to the resignations of Billy Holland, Mick O’Driscoll and Killian Keane from positions within the club.
Munster Rugby also sought voluntary redundancies back in March, drawing questions over the running of the organisation.
The heavily criticised CEO will remain at the helm until the end of the month. An interim CEO will be announced in the coming weeks and a recruitment process for a permanent successor will be undertaken in due course.
Peter O’Mahony’s Criticism
The announcement comes just two days after former Munster captain Peter O’Mahony criticised the decision-making within Munster Rugby.
In an interview on the Indo Sport Podcast, O’Mahony was asked if he though Munster was a well run club.
The five-time Six Nations winner was stern in his answer, saying “No, I don’t. I think Munster needs to have a good look at the governance in the building.
“The governance of the whole organisation, and I think it needs change. It’s not been looked after well enough, and it kills a lot of guys who have played.
“I know a lot of good people who’ve left the club, and you know, it breaks their hearts seeing some of the stuff that goes on.
“You get time to reflect over some of the stuff, and we could have played better, yes. But at times we weren’t being looked after, and I can see that now because you get a bit more time and you can see the wood from the trees, and you start to ask a few questions afterwards and figure stuff out.
“Munster definitely needs to change, certainly its governance and the people who are looking after the place.”
O’Mahony went on to praise Flanagan’s predecessor, Garrett Fitzgerald. Fitzgerald served as the province’s CEO for 20 years, overseeing two Heineken Cup and three URC titles during his tenure.
The longest-serving provincial chief executive in Irish rugby spearheaded the province’s rise in the professional era and oversaw Munster Rugby’s glory years.
O’Mahony was a big admirer of Fitzgerald, adding: “I don’t think the club realised how good we had it until Garrett Fitzgerald passed away.
“He was our CEO, and he’s left a huge void there. He was a proper rugby man.”
O’Mahony is not the only former player to criticise Munster Rugby’s governance. Johne Murphy called for “change from an organisational perspective” just last week.