Donegal players blast county board

THE fallout over the failure to appoint a new senior football manager in Donegal continued yesterday with the county squad releasing a statement strongly critical of the county’s board’s handling of the process.

The players have also called for club delegates to “reappraise the position” of a number of the senior executives on the county board.

County chairman Sean Kelly refused to be drawn into a debate on the matter when contacted subsequently.

“We are just trying to deal with this with the best interests of the GAA in the county,” said Kelly. “There is no doubt about it, the whole thing is up in the air but we are doing our best to resolve it.”

Charlie Mulgrew and Declan Bonner were due to be ratified as the successors to Brian McIver at a meeting of the county board on Wednesday night but John Joe Doherty instead addressed the gathering and clarified issues relating to his candidature which had seen Kelly withdraw the offer last week after a phone call.

The whole issue has since degenerated into a culture of blame and counter blame with Brian McEniff’s name, among others, dragged into the scene while Mulgrew and Bonner issued their own statement claiming that the procedure is “fundamentally flawed”.

Bonner has also stated that he would not be interested in assuming the position under the present county administration while Kelly yesterday refused to be drawn on his or any other of his colleagues’ future.

“The squad recently conveyed its views on the removal of Brian McIver and offered to consult with the board during the selection process to find a suitable replacement,” said the players.

“Although a commitment was given by the board executive that the squad would indeed be contacted, no communication was received by the players during the process.

“We believe we had a valuable role to play in the selection process and the board executive and selection committee have made a serious mistake by failing to consult with the squad.

“The players wish to make it clear we have no issue with any of the candidates, and we believe all hold valid credentials. However, in light of the breakdown of the appointment process, we call on club delegates to reappraise the position of a number of senior executives in the county board.”