Dublin GAA preempt Croke Park by banning Dessie Farrell for 12 weeks

The players' activities, in breach of Covid-19 guidelines, was described as a "serious error of judgement".

Dublin manager Dessie Farrell

Dublin GAA have preempted Croke Park by handing down a 12-week suspension to their senior football manager Dessie Farrell for a training session breaching lockdown rules on Wednesday morning.

Despite their own investigation into a training session in Innisfails GAA club on Wednesday resulting in the Na Fianna man being banned, the county are likely to face punishment by the GAA’s Central Competitions Control Committee.

Other than endorsing Farrell’s suspension, the loss of home advantage for the senior footballers’ next Allianz League game to take place in the capital is expected to be the least of the penalties handed down.

Individual bans for Cork and Down senior football managers Ronan McCarthy and Paddy Tally as well as the stripping of home advantage for one league game for their teams were the order of the day when they were found by the GAA to have broken the Covid-19 training ban.

It is not believed Farrell was in Innisfails for the training session. That Dublin themselves have imposed the penalty on the 49-year-old, who only guided the county to a sixth consecutive All-Ireland SFC title in December, would appear to deny him the chance to have the ban reduced to eight weeks upon acknowledging guilt at a Central Hearings Committee meeting. It is understood that is how Tally had his initial 12-week suspension cut by four weeks.

It would also seem the board executive are claiming they had no knowledge of the event. Former GAA president John Horan last year warned counties that responsibility for training ban breaches would rest with chairpersons. On Wednesday afternoon, Dublin chairman Mick Seavers told the Irish Independent: “It’s the first I know of it.”

A statement from the Dublin County Board Thursday afternoon read: “Dublin GAA acknowledge that, following an investigation this afternoon, there was a breach of Covid-19 guidelines yesterday (Wednesday) morning.

“The County Management Committee have suspended Dublin Senior Football manager Dessie Farrell for 12 weeks with immediate effect. The Dublin senior football management and players recognise that this was a serious error of judgement and apologise unreservedly for their actions.”

It is expected the 12-week ban will extend to Farrell being unable to attend Dublin football games as well as training. However, it is likely to elapse in time for the start of the Leinster championship, which is set to commence in early July.

Should they have to stage their first home league game at a neutral venue, there is a strong possibility Dublin will not play any of their round matches in the capital as a result of their training breach.

If the geographically-split Division 1 South goes ahead, it is understood the All-Ireland champions are due to travel to Roscommon and Kerry for two of their three games, the other against Galway scheduled to take place in the capital. That game could now be organised for a neutral venue.

According to the GAA’s Official Guide Part I Rule 6.45 entitled “closed months/collective training, an inter-county team found to have breached the rule “shall forfeit Home Venue in the next game in the National League”.

The GAA’s senior inter-county training ban has been in place since the end of December. The rulebook defines collective training as “where one or more player(s) is/are required to be at a specific place at a specific time on a specific date”.

As the GAA look for a second Government subvention to run the inter-county season and warned on Tuesday a training breach could put the return of play “in serious jeopardy”, the development couldn’t come at a worse time for Croke Park.

In a statement Thursday morning “expressing frustration and extreme disappointment” acknowledging the then potential breach, they insisted they “will pursue the allegations with the units in question at the earliest opportunity and will invoke any necessary disciplinary processes as appropriate.”

It concluded: ”We once again call on our members and units to uphold the integrity of the Association as part of our ongoing efforts to play our role in thwarting the virus and ensuring a return to activity when it is safe to do so.” 

The photographs of a number of Dublin players training drew the ire of Minister of State for Sport Jack Chambers who called on the GAA to take action promptly. "I was really disappointed and frustrated to see those photographs,” he told Newstalk. “Many GAA players are important role models.

“In fairness to many inter-county players, they've shown great leadership over the last 12 months in trying to reinforce the public health message in our response to Covid. So to see a training session in breach of the rules is extremely disappointing and surprising as well. I know the GAA has said in a statement in the last 48 hours that any breaches will be properly dealt with and we need to see that now."