Casement breach for scrutiny

GAA/Championship 2006: The GAA will consider its response to the Antrim County Board's defiance of Central Council's refusal to grant permission for Sunday's H Block hunger strike commemoration rally in Belfast's Casement Park. The event was attended by around 20,000.

Speaking about the situation yesterday, GAA president Nicky Brennan made the following statement and declined to take further questions.

"It is a matter of regret that the GAA Central Council decision that yesterday's hunger strike rally in Casement Park should not take place was ignored. The issue will now be addressed by Central Council at its next meeting scheduled for the end of the month."

Central Council permission for the rally was required and was not sought until the last fortnight.

Brennan also addressed the question of late arrivals at Sunday's All-Ireland football quarter-final between Dublin and Westmeath, the start of which had to be delayed by 15 minutes when only 25 per cent of the ticket-holders were in place with 30 minutes to go to the throw-in.

"It's unacceptable and discourteous to those supporters who do turn up on time," said Brennan, "as well as to the players who are waiting in the dressingroom and warming up and who probably have to cool down and warm up again. We're talking to the Garda authorities about how we can try and improve the situation.

"It should be pointed out that we sent around cars in the vicinity of the various hostelries on Saturday with loud-hailers to ask people to get to the game on time. We'll continue to do that but we'd also hope that common sense would prevail.

"The decision is made by the chief super of the guards and it would be folly for us to ignore his advice because if there was a problem we'd have some egg on our face."

According to Croke Park stadium director Peter McKenna, only 20,000 supporters had arrived at the stadium by 3.30, half an hour before throw-in. The maximum through-put at the turnstiles is 40,000 in 30 minutes and as there were then nearly 60,000 outside, it was decided to defer the start to avoid crushing at the turnstiles.

One solution under consideration is the sealing off of approach roads half an hour before matches to regulate the flow to the gates. This would allow the throw-in to take place on time and the orderly admission of late arrivals.

"That could very well be an option," said Brennan.

In relation to the decision to stage a double bill at Croke Park on Sunday - the Mayo-Laois quarter-final replay will precede the Kerry-Cork semi-final - with a knock-on effect for the Roscommon-Meath minor match, the president explained that the GAA had limited room for manoeuvre with the season coming to its climax: "We've a big programme . . . and no time available. We just don't have the dates."

He said he believed disruption to the minors could be kept to a minimum, with the main emphasis on maintaining the fixture at Croke Park, although he acknowledged that with three attractive fixtures on the day - the Murphy Cup final and Dublin's semi-final with Laois or Mayo as well as the minors - tickets would be in short supply.

"Louth and Leitrim will be a very good Tommy Murphy Cup final and there'll be demand for that. The competition has come into its own this year and I think it'll be a great final.

"There'll be fewer tickets available to Dublin but if they were fortunate enough to get to the All-Ireland final there'll be a few less still."

Meanwhile, Roscommon GAA chiefs have criticised Croke Park over the decision yesterday to refix their All-Ireland minor football championship clash with Meath for August 27th.

"We were unhappy with some recent fixture-making, but this latest decision shows that we are being treated, as our senior manager John Maughan said recently, like a third-world country," said Roscommon chairman Michael McGuire.

CROKE PARK FIXTURES

SUNDAY: All-Ireland MFC Semi-final: Kerry v Donegal, 12.30; All-Ireland SFC Quarter-final replay: Laois v Mayo, 2.0; All-Ireland SFC Semi-final: Kerry v Cork, 4.0.

SUNDAY AUGUST 27th: All-Ireland MFC Semi-final: Roscommon v Meath, 12.30; Tommy Murphy Cup Final: Louth v Leitrim, 2.0; All-Ireland SFC Semi-final: Dublin v Mayo/Laois, 4.0.