John Giles has confirmed that the Euro 2016 tournament will signal the end of his tenure with RTÉ's football panel.

Giles, who is one of the all time greats of Irish and British football, has worked with the national broadcaster since the 1980's and has been an essential part of the station's coverage of football ever since. He has covered all of Ireland's appearances in major tournaments, from Euro '88 up to Euro 2012.

The former Leeds United star and Ireland manager made a statement on Thursday morning to The Herald – the newspaper with which he has enjoyed a long association. "I’ve been approached recently about my position with RTÉ after the Euros,” he said, "and I want to clear up any speculation. In my negotiations with RTÉ Head of Sport Ryle Nugent last year, he made it clear to me that this was to be the final year of my full-time engagement with RTÉ.

"He said that this was designed to allow him to continue the requirement to plan and prepare for the future,” the statement added. "This was perfectly understandable to me and I signed the contract which finishes after the Euro 2016 final in France in good faith. But I want to make it perfectly clear that I’m not retiring or even thinking about it."

The departure of such a hugely knowledgeable and hugely liked character from the panel will have a huge impact on the way in which football is analysed in Ireland. The loss of the late Bill O’Herlihy, who retired after the 2014 World Cup, was the first stage in the break-up of what has rightly been regarded as one of the greatest football panels of all time. With the end of John Giles involvement, Eamon Dunphy and Liam Brady will continue to fly the flag. ut there is little doubt that Giles loss will be keenly felt. He is perhaps the finest analyst ever to grace a TV screen, combining a deep knowledge of the game with a keen eye for detail and a decency and honesty which meant that he was never cold or cynical in his judgements.

"I’ll be busy with my work for The Herald, Newstalk radio and I wouldn’t rule out television work in the future", Giles said in his statement.

“Without a shadow of doubt, John Giles is the finest football analyst I have ever had the pleasure of watching,” Hot Press editor Niall Stokes said. “He is hugely intelligent, articulate and knowledgeable. Together with Eamon Dunphy and Liam Brady, he formed a formidable triumvirate, who were always highly entertaining as well as revealing. But more than anything else, you watched RTÉ’s football coverage for the unique insights that John Giles offered into the game. He had a brilliant eye for the telling details. And while he was rigorous in his approach, he never lost sight of the fact that football is played by mere mortals. I am not sure that the powers-that-be in Montrose appreciate the extent of it – but the quality of RTÉ’s coverage will be greatly diminished as a result of his loss."

TV3 or Setanta should pick up the phone – pronto...