Missing money, missing tickets - double trouble for the GAA

THE GAA was embroiled in another controversy last night after it was revealed that over €60,000 was transferred from Roscommon GAA finances to a company associated with the former chairman of the county board.

The revelation follows GAA chiefs yesterday apologising for the missing tickets fiasco which meant more than 1,000 Cork and Galway fans missed Sunday’s All-Ireland hurling final.

In Roscommon, an audit into the financial affairs of the GAA has revealed slip-shod financial management in the annual handling of huge sums of money.

The money transfers have emerged from an audit into Roscommon’s cash crisis - the Croke Park audit showed that €60,069 was paid to B.L.S.B. Ltd, and associate accounts, between September 2004 and March 2005.

Former chairperson of the board Stephen Banahan - who resigned in July when the board’s €1.4m debt first came to light - is a director of B.L.S.B. Ltd.

The revelations, in yesterday’s Roscommon Champion, have rocked Roscommon GAA.

The money has since been transferred back into the county board accounts.

Mr Banahan yesterday declined to comment and was meeting with legal advisers.

Croke Park’s press office also declined to issue a statement. The audit was presented to an in-camera meeting of Roscommon County Board on Thursday night last. The report also accuses officials on the board of acting in “a grossly negligent manner” when producing figures for the 2004 county convention.

These figures showed the board to have a financial surplus of €115,020 for last year, when in fact the true position was a deficit of €255,013.

It said: “Board officials responsible for finance acted in a grossly negligent manner in providing such figures which proved to be without foundation.”

An extraordinary general meeting of Roscommon County Board is scheduled for the coming weeks and there have been calls for all members of the board’s executive to resign.

The board owes the Connacht Council €152,000 for 2004 Connacht final tickets. It has term loans totalling €914,372, and its financial position has been helped by a Croke Park grant of €120,000 being paid last month, earlier than had been scheduled. The report reveals Mr Banahan’s company B.L.S.B. Ltd was paid €18,000 for ducting and dugouts work at Kilbride GAA park.

A meeting of Roscommon County Board is scheduled for tomorrow night, but it is not clear if the financial position will be discussed.

A financial rescue plan is being prepared, and the only bright spot on the horizon for Roscommon GAA fans was that the overall debt is €1.37m, and not €1.6m as earlier feared.

Meanwhile, the missing 1,000 tickets turned up in Croke Park yesterday, in a batch of football final tickets awaiting distribution.

“The problem was caused by an administrative error,” said a spokesperson.

“The problem has never happened previously and steps have already been taken to ensure there is not a recurrence.

“The GAA deeply regrets that a mistake such as this should occur and has reiterated its apology to supporters and to the county boards of the participating counties. The attendance of 81,136 was the largest attendance at an All-Ireland hurling final since 1956.”

The missing tickets should have been distributed to the competing counties, primarily Cork and Galway.