Furious Kerry GAA chiefs demand Ó Sé explanation

KERRY GAA chiefs will demand an immediate explanation from Páidí Ó Sé upon his return from a South African holiday after inflammatory remarks from the multiple All-Ireland winner about Kerry people sparked a storm yesterday in his native county.

Board chairman Seán Walsh is in South Africa and will hold informal talks with Ó Sé today over the controversy and the context of the statements made in the Sunday Independent interview.

Board chiefs were given first-hand evidence yesterday of the level of fury around the county as delegates, supporters’ club officials and members of the public vented their displeasure.

Sources indicated that anything less than a fulsome apology from Ó Sé upon his return would jeopardise his position as coach to the county’s footballers. The board’s unprecedented step of dissociating itself “unequivocally” from the “the roughest type of f...ing animals you could ever deal with” remark underlines their “grave disappointment.” Said one senior board source: “Páidí will have a lot of fence-mending to do when he returns.” Ó Sé also angered his fellow selectors, three of whom are on holidays with him and the team. The other selector, trainer John O’Keeffe, remained at home and is understood to be very disappointed with the comments. Spokesman Willie O’Connor issued a board statement, commenting: “Kerry County Board dissociate themselves unequivocally from the remarks made by Páidí Ó Sé in the Sunday Independent. We apologise to all the people who are offended by the statements made in that interview and assure them that we do not in any way support or condone them.”

Mr O’Connor also told Radio Kerry last night: “John O’Keeffe has made a substantial contribution to the physical training of the Kerry team over the last number of years and is appointed by the board to oversee that element of preparation. The management of the team is a matter for the delegates of the county board and no one else. We appointed Páidí as manager and John O’Keeffe as coach.”

The Kerry Supporters’ Club is also likely to demand a public apology from Ó Sé.

“We have not met officially, but we will be meeting tomorrow night on other matters, but from talking to officers, they are very disappointed with the remarks,” supporters’ club PRO Martin Leane said last night. He added that he wants the issue resolved when the team return from their holiday in South Africa. “We will have to wait and see. I am sure the county board will have a chat with him. I would be hopeful that they would. Then I would hope that he would come out and apologise to the supporters in Kerry and beyond.

“The remarks were hurtful to supporters in the county and beyond. Many of those people provided tremendous support to Páidí, both as a player and as manager, but what he said was completely uncalled for.”

Mr Leane described the comments as being “over the top” and could in no way be defended. “We do demand success in Kerry,” he added. “We look for success at all levels, whether it be minor or senior. Maybe his remarks included wrong phrases, but you have always got to be careful not to go over the top, which I think he did.”

However, former Kerry selector Seán Counihan, who served alongside O´ Sé in the late Nineties believes that the incident has been blown out of proportion and will not threaten the Ventry native’s role as manager.

“I don’t believe so. I don’t think he meant anything by it, it was a case of his choice of words being poor. I don’t think that he meant anything derogatory by it. He simply meant that Kerry supporters are hard to satisfy. The phraseology might have been a bit offside, though.

“He is often on local radio appealing to supporters to come out and back the team. Admittedly, he did not turn up at a gathering in Killarney after Kerry lost to Armagh in the All-Ireland final which caused a bit of disappointment, but by and large Páidí has great respect for the Kerry supporters.”

However, Counihan was somewhat surprised by the timing of the statement issued by the county board, as the squad and manager are currently enjoying their annual team holiday.

“The very fact that he is not here and he is gone to South Africa is a bit strange,” Counihan said. “If he was here he would be able to offer some explanation. But again, it is strange, when you consider the way that Páidí is so wary of the media, something like this appears in the papers and then it is everywhere.”

A number of the travelling party will return at the weekend from South Africa while the remainder, including Ó Sé, will fly back to Ireland next week. Delegates to the county board have already signalled their intention to raise the issue when they convene for the first meeting of the year in Tralee in two weeks.