Duffy has outlined fair choices for counties

THE discussion paper on payments to team managers by the GAA’s Director General, Páraic Duffy, is typically sincere and thorough. It outlines various options at theAssociation’s disposal on the issue.

As with all things GAA, context is everything. On the matter of unregulated payments to managers, this context includes the core amateur ethos of the Association as placed starkly against the anecdotal evidence appearing to show that managers, at club and county level, are being well remunerated for their services.

Duffy makes it clear throughout that the current “policy“, with its unique mixture of “under the counter”, “brown envelope” and even “sugar daddy” or benefactor payments, cannot continue.