O’Neill wary on Euro call

GAA president Liam O’Neill said the organisation would more than likely be unable to make their stadiums available to the FAI for any future bid to host or co-host the European Championships.

Following last weekend’s news that the GAA will consider making six stadiums available to the IRFU for a feasibility study into a Rugby World Cup bid, the Laois man admitted similar offerings couldn’t be given to the FAI.

“There is a difficulty with the European Championships in timing,” O’Neill told TV3’s The GAA Show. “That would be in the middle of our season when we need our stadia and we would have to put our own games first.

“This bid is at a time when it is possible for us to facilitate it because we won’t be using those big stadia to the same extent at that time of the year.”

O’Neill believes a World Cup final in Croke Park would be massive boost for the country.

“This event now, outside of our own finals which are the prime games for us, this World Cup final, if it came off, could be one of the best things to happen in this country and we are delighted that we have the stadia to facilitate this.

“It was built by people with vision and we continue to have that vision for the good of the country.”

Regarding Sunday’s All-Ireland semi-final between Kilkenny and Tipperary, O’Neill intimated referee Cathal McAllister made mistakes.

“Well, Cathal McAllister, got up on Sunday morning, left his family and went off to referee a match, hoping to have the best game he could and that’s what every referee does every Sunday.

“So maybe one or two decisions went against, that’s a call, he’s a human, he’s an amateur and he was doing his best and he interpreted the rules as best he did (could) on the day.

“All of us sitting in the stands have a better view at times than the referee and those of us who have instant replays have a really better chance, so he did his best and that’s all I can say.”