McGuinness accused of ‘bullying’

DONEGAL boss Jimmy McGuinness has been accused of “bullying” a student player by allegedly threatening to axe him if he didn’t play a challenge game at the weekend.

Midfielder Martin McElhinney was listed to play for Dublin City University in the O’Byrne Cup semi-final on Saturday evening but was withdrawn two hours before the game.

DCU manager Niall Moyna claimed he learned at 5.15pm that McElhinney, on the orders of McGuinness, travelled to Clones to play a challenge against Monaghan and twisted his ankle in the warm-up.

As a result, the player will miss DCU’s Sigerson Cup opener next week. Moyna said final year student McElhinney is in the middle of doing exams, preparing a thesis and trained just once last week.

Moyna said McElhinney was “very upset” with the situation. The DCU manager said he attempted to speak with McGuinness but that “he hasn’t returned our calls.”

“It’s more so from the examinations perspective,” continued Moyna. “We only trained once this week to give the guys time. To then put that pressure on, the threat that he’d throw him off the panel, to make him go up there. I think that’s...it’s bullying, that’s the only word I can use.”