GAELIC GAMES/Players' strike:The central competitions control committee meet this morning to try and figure out how to accommodate Cork in this year's national leagues after the county board voted last night to remove football manager Teddy Holland and his four selectors.
Holland was ratified as manager last November, on recommendation of the county board, but the same executive was forced to request club delegates to reverse this decision after failing to persuade Holland, Teddy McCarthy, Liam Hodnett, Diarmuid O'Donovan and Mick O'Loughlin to resign.
The management refused to step down, despite binding arbitration recommending their removal. A 89-18 vote by the delegates last night finally brings this drawn out and embarrassing situation to a conclusion.
The next task for Cork GAA is to form a new football management. The binding arbitration that also brought the players strike to an end last week means that a seven-person committee, comprising of two current players, was also formed to find a new manager. Whoever fills this role will not have selectors imposed upon him.
The CCCC have encountered problems with Meath and Dublin, who have both indicated an unwillingness to play the Cork footballers on a rescheduled date.
The problem is that the counties have under-21 or challenge fixtures already in place for most free weekends from now until the league play-offs, so both Cork teams may yet forfeit the games they missed while on strike. Either way, there will be no matches this weekend despite the break for All-Ireland club semi-finals.
"The rules state very clearly that if a county does not fulfil two fixtures they can be disqualified, but we are hoping to find a way to accommodate Cork," said CCCC chairman Jimmy Dunne. "We have to look at all the possibilities."
Dunne also indicated that Meath, Dublin, Kilkenny or Waterford could not be held accountable for refusing to adhere to a re-fixed date.
"We stand by the managers' comments," said a Meath county board spokesman in relation to Colm Coyle stating that Meath can no longer play the fixture. "We have an under-21 fixture on Saturday, but, if we lost, there is scope to play it, but if we win then it may not be possible."
The Kilkenny and Waterford boards have expressed a willingness to be more accommodating. Both will see the chance to play Cork as ideal preparation for the championship.
Speaking at the launch of the Fitzgibbon Cup in Cork IT yesterday, GAA President Nickey Brennan reacted to criticism levelled at him by one of the Cork football selectors.
"I think they're quite insulting (the comments) and quite ignorant to tell you the truth. These people were under pressure. They were an innocent group of people caught up in a situation and I genuinely feel sorry for them, but to say that I wasn't actively involved, maybe they should just ask Frank Murphy how actively I was involved."
Brennan also paid tribute to the work of Labour Relations Commission chief executive Kieran Mulvey, who made the final decision on binding arbitration.
"The way I looked at it was this was a situation which didn't appear to be coming to any proper resolution and we had to bring in somebody and I felt somebody of Kieran Mulvey's calibre was the person that was needed and I think, as events turned out, it was most certainly the person that was needed.
"He did an outstanding job. I don't think we'll ever fully appreciate all he did and the assistance he received from Paraic Duffy."
