THERE HAVE been no moves to initiate talks between the GAA and the Gaelic Players Association (GPA) over the threatened boycott of broadcast media coverage of the Munster hurling and Leinster football finals.

The revelation that the GPA were taking the action came on Friday evening, catching Croke Park unawares, particularly as director general Páraic Duffy was on holiday in the US.

There will be no meeting between the sides to try to resolve the dispute over official recognition for the players’ body until after the coming weekend’s Management Committee meeting.

The GPA, who were last night engaged in talks with the Minster for Sport over the future of the intercounty players’ grants scheme, have grown impatient with what they believe is the GAA’s prevarication on the issue.

“This always happens,” according to one players’ source, “at this time of the year when the championships are on. They try to push discussions back until later in the summer. We felt we had to do something.”

There is the additional problem that new GAA president Christy Cooney has just taken office and is settling in as the fifth occupant of the office since the GPA was founded 10 years ago. The players’ group feel that the handover periods are used as an opportunity to move issues of concern to them down the agenda.

On the GAA’s behalf, there is surprise at the action taken last week. Officials believed that there had been a cordial meeting between the sides a couple of weeks ago and were surprised at the tone of a follow-up letter – “an ultimatum,” according to one official source – from the GPA, which made a number of demands on the association despite Croke Park’s impression that the matter of recognition would be parked until after a policy meeting of the Management Committee the week after next.

In his farewell address to last April’s annual congress, outgoing president Nickey Brennan criticised the GPA on the grounds that they were looking for non-accountable funding as part of the recognition process, as opposed to project-based funding.

The current view in Croke Park is that these funding proposals remain the crux of the impasse with the issue of recognition secondary (one GAA argument contending that with a representative on Central Council the GPA is already recognised).

The GPA remain downbeat about the prospects of a resolution being reached in time to prevent the media boycott from proceeding, and the GAA are apparently in no hurry to expedite the matter.

On the plus side, director general Duffy is due back this week and his presence is seen as likely to facilitate progress on the issue.

Last night’s talks with Minister Cullen on the grants issue was not expected to be conclusive.

A number of rumours have circulated in relation to the likely fate of the controversial awards’ scheme, but at best the players’ body are resigned to a sharp cut in funding for the grants.

They will decide their response after considering what the Minister has had to say.