GAA chief Aogán Ó Fearghail takes swipe at RTÉ’s match analysis
Last week, Ó Fearghail took exception to his native Cavan’s style of football being referred to as “ugly” by Joe Brolly in the live analysis of their Ulster SFC quarter-final against Monaghan.
But speaking at the launch of the Lenovo Skills Hub in Croke Park yesterday, he took aim at that evening’s Sunday Game football panel but in particular former Roscommon goalkeeper Curran who appeared as a guest analyst.
Revealing he was “amazed” by the negativity of the commentary having been at the game, he said: “Three panellists, not one of them, saw what was probably the best forward in the country at the moment, Conor McManus, an outstanding footballer, put in a tremendous display for Monaghan. Cavan made huge strides. We saw loads of hexagons and triangles and honours maths-type diagrams which are very... all it proved to me was the man (Curran) did honours maths! I saw very little real analysis of what was a fantastic game of football. I can accept, and I would absolutely accept criticism, but there was no balance.”
Ó Fearghail also condemned Curran’s questioning of London’s presence in the Connacht championship after losing to Roscommon. “ London were attacked in a disgraceful way as having no right to even be in it and nobody said anything. Not one panellist disagreed with that opinion.
“I think that’s very disrespectful to London. London having every bit as much right to be in the Connacht championship as Cavan have to be in an Ulster championship and I think that point of view needs to be aired.”
Ó Fearghail also referenced Pat Spillane’s “Taliban” comment about Donegal four years ago as an example of analysis that is wholly unacceptable. “To be nasty and to be abusive and to use language to associate certain counties with the Taliban, that’s dangerous. That’s not disrespectful, that’s actually (dangerous). The most dangerous force in the world today are the Taliban.”
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