Neil McManus foresees GAA player protests over Allianz sponsorship

Former Antrim hurler McManus was one of 800 current and former inter-county players to sign a petition urging the GAA to end its relationship with Allianz

Neil McManus: "I don't believe that the values that make the GAA what the GAA is have any alignment with Allianz." Pic: Ray McManus/Sportsfile

Neil McManus believes player protests could take place during this year’s National Leagues after the GAA decided to continue its relationship with Allianz.

The former Antrim hurler was one of around 800 current and former inter-county players to sign a petition urging the GAA to end its ties with the insurance company. The petition was launched after a UN report highlighted financial links between Allianz and Israel's war in Gaza.

The GAA subsequently asked its Ethics and Integrity Commission to examine the association's relationship with Allianz. Before Christmas, the GAA announced it had accepted the commission’s recommendation that the relationship should be maintained. Allianz is the main sponsor of the National Leagues, one of three football championship sponsors, and the association’s principal insurance underwriter.

“I am disappointed with that,” McManus, who was speaking before the Irish Examiner revealed details from the report not publicised by the GAA last month, said about the association's decision.

“I don't believe that the values that make the GAA what the GAA is have any alignment with Allianz. I don't think we should have any involvement with Allianz, just to be crystal clear about it.” 

McManus, speaking at the launch of the new season of TG4’s Laochra Gael series, believes Ulster teams are more likely to be the source of any protests.

“You will find that some groups of players are more politically aware than others,” he said. “Just depending on the leadership of that group, that will dictate what groups actually protest.

“A lot of the players, not to cast any aspersions on any county, but there are players that you will meet as you go through your journey this year as journalists and they will have no political interest, never mind knowledge. But I definitely think that probably because of how politicised the North is, you will probably find more politically aware players in the North.

“I hope that's not an unfair generalisation but whenever I went through my career, and I was playing on a combined rules team in the shinty or you were away on a trip with other GAA players from the South, sometimes you had to do an education piece on what life has been for a GAA player in the North.” 

McManus “100%” supports the proposal from Down club Saval that the county should withdraw its senior football and hurling teams from the National Leagues.

“I wouldn't bet against anything really because it's the issue of our time,” he said.

“Let's be honest. Ireland can be very proud of itself in terms of the people of Ireland. Our government have absolutely not covered themselves in glory with Palestine and the genocide that's ongoing there.

“But whenever you look at Ireland on the whole: you look at President Michael D. Higgins, you look at his successor, you look at the GAA, the people of the GAA - Ireland can say that it's very much stood on the right side of this.”

McManus will read the commission’s report when it is released by the GAA. The report found that “Allianz plc has no involvement with the IDF (Israeli Defence Force) or corporate entities involved in the war in Gaza. Any such relationship is with a ‘sibling or cousin company’.” 

In December, GAA president Jarlath Burns set out the Management Committee’s reasons for accepting the report’s findings, including the burden that finding a new insurer would place on clubs and volunteers.

“The GAA has a responsibility to its clubs,” said McManus. “We have to be a financially viable organisation - I understand that. Would it be straightforward recruiting another insurer? No. It wouldn't. That doesn't matter to me because we should just do the right thing.”