FRC: No Champions League style format

The Football Review Committee (FRC) have ruled out recommending a Champions League format for the All-Ireland SFC.

The group’s chairman Eugene McGee yesterday confirmed they will not be proposing the system of group stages to replace the provincial structure.

“We have been guaranteed we will get full support from the GAA for things which are rational and sensible,” McGee told RTÉ Radio One.

“We have a policy of not putting up airy-fairy stuff that nobody will believe.

“We have a policy of not putting out things that politically have no chance of being successful.

“For instance, the Champions League. Having the All-Ireland final in two years’ time played on the Champions League (format) has absolutely no chance of being successful politically in the GAA.

“That’s the reality. Maybe in five years it might or 10 years’ time. There can’t be a revolution in the GAA. Maybe some people will say unfortunately, but there can’t be. We have four provincial councils, they run their championships and an awful lot of people would be perfectly happy with those.”

McGee hinted the FRC’s proposals will be concentrated on improvements to the game of Gaelic football.

He indicated the direct pick-up could be introduced but said the overwhelming message coming back to the committee was the need to curb the cynicism in the sport.

“I’m much more concerned, really, with all these small things like the hand-pass, the pick-up and all these because they affect the man who goes to games today and every other day.

“They’re annoyed at these things. The cynical fouling is number one, there’s no doubt about that, that is where players deliberately foul in order to frustrate the opposition by stopping the play. There are all kind of devices used to stop play. Some of them seem to emanate from the dressing rooms of the teams themselves so they’re not accidents, they’re deliberate.”

Meanwhile, the Interprovincial Series will go ahead again next February after Central Council sanctioned its continuation on Saturday.

The semi-finals have been scheduled for Sunday, February 17 with the football final to take place on Saturday, February 23 and the hurling decider on the weekend of March 3.