Clashes cloud Donegal’s preparation
McGuinness is looking for this weekend’s fixtures to be deferred ahead of the county’s first appearance in the Ulster SFC final since 2006, where Derry will be the opposition in Clones on July 17.
The Donegal boss is concerned about the impact playing a full programme of championship games will have on their preparations.
“It is a long time since we were in an Ulster final and we feel this would be a good opportunity to win it,” he said.
“If the (club) championship does go ahead this weekend it basically writes off this week for us. Anybody that has Donegal at heart wants to see us return to Donegal town in three weeks time with the cup.
“That is our primary focus and we hope that path will be cleared for us and that we can get a really good workout this week and next and then taper down the week before the game.”
However, the chairman of the Competitions Controls Committee Charlie Cannon and secretary Ed Byrne were adamant the eight senior championship first round second legs and the three intermediate championship games are going ahead.
They claim the fixture championship programme has been set in stone and approved by both the Ulster Council and the GAA’s Central Council.
“We put the schedule in place last February and it has been forwarded to the Ulster Council and the Central Council and the programme is now governed by these two bodies,” Cannon said.
“We met a number of the clubs and the team management the week before last and we informed them that the championship was going ahead as scheduled with the play-offs, if there are any, on July 24.
“Our hands are tied on the matter and if we do not get the first round completed by the end of the month we are in trouble. We simply don’t have enough weekends left to play the championship if we are to meet our schedules and have teams ready for the Ulster club championship.”
