Annual reports: Liam Mulvihill, director general of the GAA, has expressed the view in his annual report that the rugby and soccer internationals scheduled will go ahead as arranged in Croke Park.

His comments come in the wake of suggestions that the matter is not finalised, pending the granting of planning permission for the redevelopment of Croke Park.

Whereas he accepted that any ambiguity would have to be sorted out by Central Council, the text of his annual report, which was launched yesterday, leaves no doubt he expects the internationals to take place pursuant to last year's congress decision to allow Croke Park be leased while Lansdowne Road is closed for redevelopment.

"The democratic decision taken by that congress was given effect by Central Council in December 2005," he says in the report. "By that time the IRFU and the FAI had applied for use of Croke Park in 2007 on the basis that planning permission for the redevelopment would be lodged in January 2006 and that Lansdowne Road would require to be closed in 2007 due to the redevelopment process.

"Because the IRFU and FAI had to confirm 2007 venues with their respective international boards in early 2006, negotiations with the two organisations began immediately and were satisfactorily completed by mid-January. This provided for two competitive rugby internationals and three European soccer internationals to be played in Croke Park in 2007.

"The agreement reached between the GAA and the rugby and soccer organisations is for 2007 only. Discussions on the operational details are still in progress.

"The agreement included senior competitive internationals and excluded consideration of any friendly internationals and is subject to Lansdowne Road being closed.

"Any decision in regard to the period post 2007 will be contingent on Lansdowne Road still being closed due to the redevelopment process and it being clear that the process is still 'alive'. It will also be subject to a Central Council review."

When asked about the public disagreement between GAA president Seán Kelly, who was unable to be present at yesterday's media conference, and Cork Central Council delegate Bob Honohan, who has argued that no internationals can take place before planning permission is granted to Lansdowne Road, Mulvihill declined to get involved.

"Any lack of clarity is a matter for Central Council to decide. My understanding is that the matches will go ahead unless someone wants to raise the matter at Central Council. Nothing that I can envisage within the GAA will stop the internationals going ahead but some have a different view and may ask Central Council for clarification if they have concerns."

After a controversial year for the International Rules series with Australia, Mulvihill said that the game was on its last chance.

"My personal opinion is that if there are further serious incidents our counties won't stand for it.

"I know some people accuse us of hypocrisy in that our own games are as bad but some of what went on in the international rules was a lot more dangerous than what goes on here and we were lucky that a player wasn't seriously injured."

In his report the director general appeared to accept that the series would be moving to a two-year cycle although he denied that the decision had been finalised. He did confirm that the idea had been discussed with the AFL last January and that it would be on the agenda for the next meeting between the organisations in May.

"They said they weren't hostile to it but they also saw the problems - whether there'd be sufficient continuity and what the effect of the stop-start would be on television coverage. A lot of players have expressed the view that every second year would suit them better."

Both Mulvihill and president-elect Nickey Brennan expressed concern over the growing pressure on club fixtures' schedules. Brennan said that it was a matter to which he would return in his inaugural speech in Killarney next week whereas Mulvihill devoted some of his report to the issue.

"My estimate is that we need to create at least four extra Sundays for club activities and these need to be divided equally between the start of the club season and the peak period, ie February and June.

"We can create two extra Sundays in February by commencing the leagues later and by having a straight league with no knock-out stage other than a play-off, if necessary.

"In May/June, we would have to get the co-operation of the provincial councils to double up on their fixtures and have counties beaten in the football championship play in the Tommy Murphy Cup or in the qualifier, but not in both of them."

He also took a strong stand on the issue of pay-for-play in the course of his report.

"Semi-professionalism or professionalism would totally alter the structures upon which our games are based and would, I believe, weaken those structures so seriously as to damage the association and games irreparably.

"Indeed, it is certain that in a short space of time few if any county would be fielding teams in both codes. They simply would neither have the resources nor the will to do so. The impact of this on the promotion of our games would be catastrophic."

Questioned further he added: "The ESRI pointed out the tremendous network of active people (in the GAA) and we can't afford to lose that voluntary input. Indications are that we would run that danger if we go down the road of pay-for-play."

In relation to the prospect of a strike by the Gaelic Players association, he replied: "That's a hypothetical situation. We'll wait an see but we're not slow to take decisions when the need arises."