Sports Minister Shane Ross says he would be "very happy to talk" to anyone proposing a potential split of the FAI.
It comes amid reports that a delegation of politicians and figures from the football community are proposing a split in a bid to ensure State funding for grassroots football.
The Irish Independent reports the plan has been devised by rank and file members of the FAI staff, and it would see the governing body's responsibilities would be 'stripped down'.
Under the proposals, the FAI's main focus would be on managing the international teams and elite side of the sport.
Meanwhile, State backing would be sought for a new body that would solely look after the grassroots, community and development side of the game.
The Independent that reports Brian Kerr and Niall Quinn are among those who have offered input on the plan.
Speaking on Newstalk Breakfast this morning, Minister Ross said: "I'm open to talk to anybody who has got constructive suggestions about the FAI, because the FAI is a complete and utter basketcase... it's in a very, very dark place at the moment.
"If we've got people like Brian Kerr and Niall Quinn who are going to make suggestions... I would be very happy to talk to them about it.
Grassroots funding
Meanwhile, the Sports Minister also said a plan to ensure a new mechanism for ensuring funding for grassroots funding will be ready in a "matter of a days", and will be done through a third party.
Sport Ireland funding for the FAI remains frozen, while accounts published last week revealed that the association's liabilities currently stand at over €55 million.
Minister Ross explained: "The Government's interest is to protect the funding - the €2.9 million which we give to the FAI every year.
"Money for the grassroots should not go to the FAI, but should go to the grassroots - the grassroots must not be allowed to suffer from what's gone wrong at the FAI.
"We are devising a mechanism - which I hope will be ready next week - whereby we can channel that money to grassroots football without any interruption: that's absolutely imperative for us, because we're interested in football... we're not interested in the FAI."
Minister Ross said the Government wants to see football in Ireland flourish, and that they "can't believe the association which runs Irish football has sunk to such an awful low".
He observed: "What we cannot believe - and I cannot understand, and I think is quite unforgivable - is that the independent directors who were promised to us for so long have still not been appointed by the FAI."
He said he believes the next directors, CEO and chair of the association should not have any "history or baggage... that could be perceived as bringing part of the old guard back".
Minister Ross added: "We've got to see an organisation which is independent of what's happened in the past - that's terribly important.
"I don't want to insinuate that everybody in the FAI has been bad... there are some really good people in there, and there have been some really good people in there.
"But I do want to see it patently clear to the public and to ourselves as Government that those who are taking over now are not affected by the sins of the past."
