Tony Leen: Only solution to Cork v Kerry venue saga is a return to Páirc Uí Rinn

Whether the County Board executive in Cork was on the same page as their footballers and management is a moot point now – they’re duty-bound now to climb into the foxhole

BOUND TOGETHER: The Cork team. 

WHATEVER way this ‘Páirc Uí Rinn or nowhere’ snafu is held up to the light now, it’s ominous.

The decision by the Cork football squad and management to reach for the nuclear option has backed all the stakeholders on the May 7 Munster SFC semi-final into an awkward corner.

Suddenly it’s difficult to see an outcome beyond two stark scenarios – one, the Munster Council sets down the veto over the fixture and returns the game to Páirc Uí Rinn. The second is grim – Munster holds its ground, the Cork footballers dig in and forfeit by refusing to travel to Killarney.

One thing is already manifestly evident – somebody will have to give ground for all to save face.

Given the apathetic mood around football in Cork, this issue may have been seen within the footballers as an opportunity to galvanise support, to take a principled stand and defend it like hell. It’s not like they were without precedent. There hasn’t been much by way of a cause for Cork football to get riled up about of late, so when the Kerry tie was officially fixed last month for Páirc Uí Rinn, it became the cornerstone of their case – the Cork players could justifiably argue the switch to Killarney pulled the rug from under them and their preparations.

There’s a lot to recommend the Boreenmanna Road for a struggling Cork side to host the high-flying Kingdom. A comparatively tight pitch, a febrile atmosphere created by a ‘capacity’ crowd of 11,000, and now an enhanced sense of injustice.

Inadvertently or otherwise, by referring in their statement to the financial imperative of a switch to Killarney, the Cork players served to highlight the cause and effect of this problem – the Ed Sheeran concerts at Páirc Ui Chaoimh. 

Whether the County Board executive in Cork was on the same page as their footballers and management is a moot point now – they’re duty-bound now to climb into the same foxhole, though why discussions with their Kerry counterparts hadn’t long since pre-ordained that Cork go to Killarney this time around - as they did when it suited during the redevelopment of Páirc Uí Chaoimh - seems strange.

Those who take the facile line that it serves greedy Cork right provide no context to this conundrum. The redevelopment of Páirc Uí Chaoimh has put Cork in a deep financial hole and while the stadium will undoubtedly take flight down the road, right now it has a €30m millstone preventing propulsion. Kevin O’Donovan and the executive grabbed the prospect of around €1million from Sheeran gigs, told their Board as much and prayed hard that championship draws wouldn’t screw them.

But when you’re down on your luck, you don’t get a Cork-Kerry final on May 28 when the Páirc ui Chaoimh pitch would be back in workable order. Fuelling ire is confirmation Friday from Sky Sports that the May 7 game is part of their agreement with the GAA, meaning it is unavailable to terrestrial tv viewers.

A packed terrace at Pairc Ui Rinn

Ultimately, Munster would likely pocket less than an additional €200,000, depending on attendance, if the game went ahead in Killarney but they might argue that the decision is less about money and more about facilitating supporters who wish to see the game. Sky’s rights hardly weakens their case.

So who blinks? Wise counsel might have prevailed upon the Cork players and management to channel their defiance into a performance in Killarney but the unambivalent ‘we will not be playing the match in any other venue’ makes that all but impossible now. Cork will stick by their statement.

This essentially puts the ball back in Munster’s court, with provincial CEO Kieran Leddy and chairman Ger Ryan providing the Cork players with a way back from their incendiary stance. Power and authority are all about understanding when and how to employ them.

Those referencing Waterford’s Walsh Park and its hosting of Munster Championship hurling games this season neglect the fact that it is the county’s official home. Of greater relevance to this pickle is Antrim’s insistence that their Ulster SFC game against Cavan later this month proceeds at Corrigan Park. Ultimately the Ulster Council concurred – on the basis of "a number of measures which will enhance the health and safety arrangements” at the ground.

Expect chippies and sparkies to be working overtime at Páirc Uí Rinn these next few weeks.