The Games Administration Committee of the GAA meet tonight and one of their most pressing items of business will be Derry's objection to Cork's win in Sunday's All-Ireland minor football semi-final at Croke Park. This is founded on referee Gerry Kinneavy's apparent double booking of Cork midfielder Kieran Murphy.
Having received two yellow cards in the 11th and 64th minutes, Murphy was not dismissed from the field as required under rule. Derry's county board confirmed they will be appealing the result. Cork will resist on the grounds that the referee has full jurisdiction on the field.
Nothing is yet known of Kinneavy's report but assuming he doesn't admit he made an error, it will be up to GAC to come a decision. An admission that he didn't apply the rules might pave the way for a refixture as happened in the Clare-Offaly hurling semi-final replay of two years ago when Jimmy Cooney acknowledged that he played insufficient time.
If Kinneavy doesn't follow that precedent, it is likely that the GAC will accept his report and turn down Derry's case. In controversies earlier this championship, the committee has consistently backed the referee's version of events even when in plain contravention of the rulebook.
Meanwhile, Kildare have healed the rift between their county footballers and RTE. On Sunday, the county announced that the team which faces Galway in this weekend's All-Ireland semi-final would not be co-operating with the national broadcaster because of Sunday Game analyst Pat Spillane's hyper-critical remarks about the side at half-time in the Leinster football final replay.
Spillane apologised on Sunday night on air. There were initially reservations in the county about the fact that only two of the players involved - Karl O'Dwyer and Brian Murphy - had been mentioned in the apology. Full back Ronan Quinn was "every bit as insulted" according to PRO Syl Merrins but the county officers in consultation with the team management decided to call off the threat.
Spillane himself will be busy this Thursday when he is to be guest speaker at the gala dinner for the Irish News team of the Ulster championship, selected by supporters, which was announced yesterday. The selection contains eight players from champions Armagh.
Team - Armagh unless stated - S McGreevy (Antrim); E McNulty, P McGuinness (Fermanagh), J McNulty; K Hughes, K McGeeney, P McFlynn (Derry); A Tohill (Derry), J McEntee; C O'Rourke, R Gallagher (Fermanagh), P McGrane; S McDonnell, E Muldoon (Derry), K Brady (Antrim).
