GAA Central Council must not act in haste

WHEN the GAA’s Management Committee and Central Council meet today they should take stock of the decisions they are being asked to make as regards the use of Croke Park in 2008 for games other than those promoted by the GAA.

We all know what was decided at Congress in Killarney in 2005 but of late there seems to be a divergence between what was required and passed by Congress and what the actual wording used at the time meant. Some people say this is just nit-picking between the ‘spirit’ and the ‘letter’ of what the change to Rule 42 meant.

The bottom line is that when Central Council decided early in 2006 on the urgency of agreeing the dates for the 2007 rugby and soccer internationals the process was based on completely false information. As was subsequently demonstrated there was only a requirement, to affirm that a venue in Dublin would be available in 2007 – not a named stadium. Those with vested interests however browbeat delegates into immediately signing contracts. It now seems that similar falsehoods are again being perpetrated this weekend to ensure that a ‘deal’ for 2008 is signed off.