Amicable meeting between Horan and Mayo County Board

Mayo county board’s meeting with manager James Horan on Wednesday night to discuss comments he made about fundraising activities in New York ended amicably.

Horan blamed the county board after hundreds of fans, who paid $50 (€36) per head to meet the team two nights before their clash with New York, were left irate when the side did not turn up.

“It had been discussed on numerous occasions and it was made very clear that the Mayo team would not go to any fundraiser before the match,” Horan said. “This was made absolutely clear to the county board weeks in advance and I’m not sure how the confusion arose but the situation was very clear to us.”

The board called him into a meeting to discuss the comments and both parties agreed the incident shone a bad light on everyone involved.

“Neither Mayo county board nor the management intended to insult any supporters, at home or abroad,” said county PRO Aiden McLoughlin.

“The players hadn’t intended to stay meeting and greeting fans so close to a match. But there were other issues. It took the team an hour and three quarters to get to Gaelic Park (after visiting the Irish consulate in the morning). The training session was delayed as a result. They were preparing for New York the same way any professional outfit (does) and felt it best to get back to hotel. Wires got crossed in the communication process and the long day was a factor. We’re grateful to the Mayo club in New York who fed the team at Gaelic Park. We’re also grateful to the fantastic fan base. We’ve the biggest season ticket holder base in the country.”