Vaughan controversy spreads to county level

Brendan O’Brien

Having been sent off against Portlaoise in the 2004 Leinster club championship, Vaughan was controversially cleared to play in Crokes' first round championship match against St Brigid's at the start of the summer.

Though Kilmacud won, Brigid's lodged an objection and the affair has bounced around between the Central Disciplinary Committee (CDC), Central Appeals Committee (CAC) and the Disputes Resolution Authority (DRA) which is supposed to be the supreme arbitrator ever since.

The CAC has ruled that Vaughan was an illegal player when he lined out against Brigid's, which would mean that the Dublin county board should, strictly speaking, suspend the player in question.

Chairman John Bailey has written to Croke Park for confirmation of the situation, though President Sean Kelly said yesterday that, as far as he was concerned, Vaughan was eligible to face Tyrone.

"In fairness to Kilmacud Crokes, they went to the DRA, they asked the situation regarding Mark Vaughan and they were told they could play him.

"So until such time as he is suspended for playing illegally the DRA is the ultimate authority. They haven't changed their minds in the meantime so Mark Vaughan, as far as I am concerned, is eligible to play."

Though the new disciplinary system has succeeded in keeping players and units from taking their grievances out of GAA circles to the courts, the controversy and confusion over the Vaughan case has highlighted the need for much tighter rules and regulations.

Kelly however, expressed himself satisfied with how the fledgling system has coped thus far.

"Overall, I'm very pleased. We have a new system in place this year. It has worked very well in two ways. Number one, I think we have netter discipline in all our games and this system is partly responsible for that.

"Secondly, the DRA is a fledging group and there are bound to be people who will question it and challenge it, but, by and large it has worked extremely well.

"There are bound to be teething problems, I was expecting that, but it will all pan out in the end."