Fitzgerald: lasting solution must be found

MUNSTER GAA chief executive Pat Fitzgerald has described the recent trend of inter-county conflicts involving players and management as a ‘disturbing one’ and insists a National agreement between the GAA and GPA is the best method to finding a lasting solution to the problem.

In his annual report to next Friday’s Munster Convention in Listowel in Kerry, Fitzgerald refers to the conflicts in Cork, Clare and Limerick which have blighted action in the province over the past 12 months.

“Last year I briefly mentioned difficulties which arose in Cork on player issues, sadly this issue surfaced in other counties this year with Clare and Limerick being embroiled in conflict. This trend is a disturbing one and we would now hope that with the National agreement between the GAA and the GPA these issues will become less frequent. I personally support this agreement.

“However I must make a few clear points. I respect any player who wishes to remove themselves from their respective inter county panel. However I believe the term “strike or picket” have no place in the GAA vocabulary. Players who leave their inter-county career should respect others viewpoint as they expect others to respect theirs. We must be more proactive with our players at inter-county level, the day of expecting players to play and shut their mouths are over and rightly so.”

Fitzgerald believes the issue of ticketing allocations for major matches must be addressed and has described last June’s Munster SFC semi-final replay between Cork and Kerry in Páirc Ui Chaoimh, which saw the throw-in delayed by half an hour due to large crowds attempting to access tickets outside the ground, as not ‘their finest hour’.

“We have had our bad moments and have to take some of the blame for our inefficiencies. The replay of the Munster Football semi final was not our finest hour as we did not manage this event as we should have. Already we are working with the stadium committees to ensure that we improve our performances on the day. Issues outside our control however are the non purchase of tickets despite their wide availability before the day of a game and the late arrival of some of our patrons who expect immediate entry.

“The old view that the best tickets can be had on the day, can no longer be sustained. Also a small number of followers arrive with alcohol or under the influence of alcohol to our games. On this issue we intend to work closely with the Garda Síochána.”

Fitzgerald has also called for the Interprovincial championships to be staged with the club finals on St Patrick’s Day, ahead of a decision on the future of the competitions being made at the GAA Congress in April.

“The continued failure to identify a suitable time for this competition frustrates players, officials and our patrons. Year after year the internal debate surfaces, should we continue these competitions or should we scrap them. I believe that the only way to have any hope of success is to pair them with the club championship finals on Saint Patrick’s Day with the hurling in Thurles and the football in Croke Park. Continuing as we are, is like death by one thousand cuts and neither the players who commit, the generous sponsor, or the patrons who support (now only a handful) deserve this indecision.”

Fitzgerald criticised the contests made by players to disciplinary action on ‘the flimsiest of technical grounds’.

“Units and specific individuals have made a habit of contesting decisions on the flimsiest of technical grounds. This takes up a lot of our Hearings Committee time and while some of these cases deserve serious scrutiny most have no basis in rule or fact. A worrying trend also for our hearings committee is that some of our sub bodies in dealing with disciplinary cases are not as efficient in their business as they should be causing further disciplinary issues for our hearings.