GPA and GAA bid to end Erne impasse

THE GPA and GAA have commenced a process aimed at ending the Fermanagh senior football stand-off.

A number of the county panel walked off the squad in protest against under-fire manager John O’Neill, leading the county board to call an emergency meeting last night.

The row is the first conflict to have emerged since the GPA and the GAA signed their historic official five-year agreement, a deal which included provision for the establishment of a mechanism to deal with player/county disputes.

GPA spokesman Seán Potts last night confirmed that a ‘mechanism’ is in play to “resolve this current situation”.

He explained: “We have spoken with representatives of the Fermanagh squad and Croke Park. We are employing the Disputes Resolution mechanism in a bid to resolve this current situation. Now that mechanism is in place, (so) we will not be commenting further.”

The associations have agreed a three-point plan to tackle disputes arising between a player or players and a county committee. The first objective is to deal with the matter internally within the squad/team management.

If that fails to produce an outcome, the issue then goes to the county team’s management and panel’s sub-committee.

If still unresolved, and if so requested by concerned parties, the issue is discussed between the GAA’s Head of Games Administration and Player Welfare and the chief executive of the GPA or of persons nominated by them.

In exceptional cases, the Head of Games Administration and Player Welfare and the chief executive of the GPA with the agreement of the county committee and the relevant panel/player, may refer a dispute to mediation or arbitration.

Yesterday a letter signed by four senior and respected players — James and Peter Sherry, Tommy McElroy and Niall Bogue — was dropped in to the county board’s office explaining that while they still passionately wanted to play for Fermanagh, they felt they could not, under the management setup currently in place.

Meanwhile Galway attacker Michael Meehan will find out tomorrow if he is going to see championship action this year after his recovery from an ankle injury hit a snag.

The 26-year old is hopeful that he will get the all-clear from medical experts which will pave his way to return to action, having been out since last summer.

Meehan, named as Galway’s skipper last year by Joe Kernan and one of three captains selected by Tomás Ó Flatharta in January, has not played since suffering a recurrence of the ankle injury in the championship replay loss to Sligo last summer.

“I am going back to see the surgeon in Galway on Thursday so he can scope my ankle again. I have had scans done but sometimes they don’t show up everything and it won’t be until he has a look that he’ll know if there is anything that needs a cleaning up,” said the Caltra club man.

“We won’t know how it is really until after Thursday, but the recovery has been a bit slower than expected. It has been frustrating. It is tough to watch the lads, but in fairness I think it was well improved against Cork.”