Alan Kelly is the second high profile member of Stephen Kenny’s staff to quit the Ireland team in a matter of days.
Confirmation that the goalkeeping coach is leaving his post came from the FAI tonight.
It comes less than a week after Damien Duff rocked the camp by controversially walking away from his coaching role.
Kenny said in a statement: “Alan called to inform me of his decision and I have accepted it.
“I want to thank him for his time as goalkeeper coach with me and for his overall contribution to Irish football.”
Ex-Ireland keeper Kelly - who is asthmatic - said: “With COVID-19 still viciously circulating in our communities, it is with a heavy heart that I have decided the time is right to step down.
“It has been an absolute honour and a privilege to represent the Republic of Ireland as a player and coach for the last 28 years.
“A special thank you goes out to all the Irish International goalkeepers I have played alongside and had the good fortune to coach.
"I would like to thank the FAI and wish Stephen, the staff and all the players the very best of luck in the World Cup qualifiers and for the future.”
Former Ireland keeper Kelly was in the headlines in November when he angrily denied leaking the videogate story to an English newspaper.
He issued a lengthy social media post of his own at the time - not through the FAI - stating he was ‘disgusted’ by the suggestion that he had.
Prior to that Wembley furore breaking in the media, Kelly had sat out the Bulgaria game in Dublin.
Following the England friendly and Wales Nations League clash in Cardiff, he did not travel to Dublin citing health reasons.
Kelly is asthmatic and was concerned about cases of Covid-19 in the camp around that time.
When the videogate story broke, it was claimed Kelly may have been unhappy with aspects of the video shown by Stephen Kenny to his players.
And Kelly - who was also goalkeeping coach under Mick McCarthy - was replaced for the Bulgaria game by Steve Williams.
Ireland boss Kenny knows Williams well as he was his goalkeeper coach at Dundalk.
Williams has since left the Lilywhites and joined forces with Mickey Harte’s Louth GAA team ahead of the new season.
But it’s likely that Kenny - who now has two key appointments to make - would have gone for a candidate with more international experience.
Former star goalkeeper Shay Given could come into consideration, although he is a coach with Derby County.
Only last month, Kenny had claimed that Kelly would remain his goalkeeping coach for the World Cup campaign.
And asked at the time if Kelly had complained about the Wembley video, Kenny said: “He definitely did not.
“I'm not discussing any member of staff in this press conference, but that's doing a disservice to Alan.
“We are firmly focused on the World Cup qualifiers. It was a distraction, we all could have done without it, but we are firmly focused on football now.”
