Tipperary's objection to their Munster football championship defeat by Kerry has failed. Last night's Munster Council meeting in Limerick decided that on the basis of Rule 1 and 1.1, the appeal should not succeed. It was based on the fact that television pictures demonstrated Kerry's goal to have been invalid.

The Council accepted that "a goal had been scored after the ball had gone wide" but cited the relevant rules.

Rule 1: "Control of games shall be entrusted to a referee, four umpires and two linesmen, who shall decide on the field all matters affecting play."

Rule 1.1: "The referee's decision on any question of fact and in regard to time shall be final."

Before members of the media were asked to leave the meeting so that the matter could be heard in camera, Munster Council chairman Sean Kelly addressed the meeting and said that he wanted to apologise to Tipperary for what he accepted was an error by Cork referee Michael Collins.

"That is not to be seen as a condemnation of the referee, his linesmen and umpires who had to take a split (second) decision. Mistakes will be made. It is part of human nature."

He added that the incident had caused embarrassment to the Council, especially coming so close to the controversy which surrounded last season's Limerick-Kerry minor football championship tie in Thurles, where Limerick were denied a valid goal by an officiating error.

The Council would be taking a look at the use of stanchions in goal netting and as a short-term measure might consider the use of padding so that the ball would not rebound at such speed.

"However," he said, "short-term solutions are no good.

"I look forward to the day when we can take decisions that will be practical. The association must look at technology and its uses. What the GAA wants at the end of the day is justice."

"It is the greatest injustice of all time and we are devastated," said Tipperary Football Board chairman Michael Frawley last night.

"It is 71 years since Tipperary have beaten Kerry in the championship and 64 since we won a provincial title. In that time we have suffered many heartbreaks and that is why we took this appeal. If we were regular winners, we probably would not have done so."

Eamonn McEnaney has resigned as manager of Monaghan's senior and under-21 footballers in the wake of the Ulster championship defeat by Fermanagh. His letter or resignation was read at last night's County Committee meeting and in the statement McEnaney stressed that his decision was not taken suddenly but was a decision that he had taken earlier in the season.

He had intimated to players and officials his plans to stand down whenever Monaghan were defeated in the championship. He had completed two years of his three-year term in sole charge but previous to that he was joint manager of both teams along with president-elect of the GAA, Sean McCague.

During McEnaney's term as manager Monaghan reached the semi-final of the National Football league in 1998, won the All-Ireland B championship last year and this year's Ulster under-21 football championship. But Monaghan found themselves relegated back to Division Two and were beaten in the championship last Sunday.

County Board chairman, Liam Stirrat informed the clubs that he plans to have McEnaney's successor ratified at the August meeting of the County Committee.

With another big championship weekend on the horizon, a number of football teams will be named tonight. The big match in Ulster is between Donegal and Armagh who have injury problems. Both Diarmuid Marsden and Des Mackin are considered extremely doubtful.

Meanwhile in Kerry it has been confirmed that Liam Flaherty, centre back on the 1997 All-Ireland-winning team, has dropped off the panel for this year's championship. There had been speculation that the Ballydonoghue player was considering his position after failing to make the team for Kerry's opening fixture against Tipperary last Sunday week.