Down fined for Páirc Esler confusion

The Down Co Board have been hit with a €250 fine after chaos ensued following their May 24 senior football challenge match against Cork at Pairc Esler, Newry, which delayed the start of the Ulster SHC quarter-final between Armagh and London at the same venue by 38 minutes.

The challenge game had finished on time, but problems arose when both sides had taken up the four dressing rooms available for not just the players, but also the medical teams with both parties.

This ensured that both the Armagh and London players and management teams were forced to wait until their football counterparts vacated the dressing rooms. Both sets of hurlers had arrived an hour-and-a-half before their throw-in time.

London won the match by a point, but had the game gone to extra-time, because of the enforced delay the Exiles would not have been back in Dublin Airport on time for their flights, which cost in the region of £400 (€500) each because of the UK Bank Holiday that weekend.

The Central Competitions Control Committee (CCCC) dished out the €250 fine to the Mourne side at their meeting on Monday morning at Croke Park, in accordance with Rule 143 (b) of the GAA's Official Guide.

The rule states that: "An inter-county challenge shall be sanctioned by a provincial or a central council.

"The sanction must be obtained from a provincial council when the teams are from the same province, and from the provincial councils and central council when teams are from more than one province."

However Down were deemed to have taken part illegally in the game as they had failed to notify the CCCC about their participation in this challenge match.

In contrast Cork had informed Croke Park officials that they would be taking part in a series of challenge games, which also included fixtures against Laois and Louth, in the build-up to their Munster championship opener against Limerick.

Cork player Paudie Kissane revealed that his side were actually unaware that an important championship fixture was due to take place after their challenge match against Ross Carr's side.

"We didn't know anything about it (the Armagh-London hurling game)," he said.

"We didn't know anything until we came off the field and we realised that there was a game on afterwards. We didn't know, we were just going up to the game and lads knew we were playing Down and that was it.

"There was no mention of the championship game afterwards."

Kissane was in agreement with the sentiments of the CCCC ruling.

"That was Down's fault that they were showing up their disregard for the Ulster hurling championship," he said.

The CCCC have earned the wrath of Down in recent weeks after they imposed a further 24-week suspension on Down assistant senior football manager DJ Kane, following a charge of 'illegal participation while under suspension' under Rule 149 (i) of the 2008 GAA Official Guide.