"US football" ground Kerry four

AN OLD spectre has returned to haunt the GAA with a major controversy set to develop over the part played in the New York senior football final replay, between the Donegal and Westmeath clubs, by a number of intercounty players. The punishment for playing without authorisation is a six month suspension.

Already four Kerry footballers are to report to the Games Administration Committee for having participated without authorisation in the match earlier this month.

County secretaries in Cavan and Armagh, Gerry Soden and Patrick Nugent, are investigating reports that a player from each of their counties was also involved. Neither had authorised any footballer under their authority to play in New York. In Donegal, county secretary Noreen Doherty is unable to remember which players she might have authorised for the weekend in question.

Cork captain Niall Cahalane and former Dublin player Ciaran Duff also played, but their status is not in dispute as it has been confirmed that they observed the correct procedures.

The Kerry players involved are Dingle's Sean Geaney and the Gaeltacht trio of Dara O Cinneide, Dara O Se and Fergal O Se. Geaney had secured authorisation to play in the drawn match and stayed on for the replay but without clearing himself for that match.

The other three were on tour with the Gaeltacht club on the east coast of America and had no clearance to play.

County coach Seamus Mac Gearailt said he was unaware of the matter. "There is a rumour that some of our players played in New York. The matter is being dealt with by the county board but anyone under investigation can't be considered (for selection). It's too much of a risk."

County secretary Tony O'Keeffe said: "It came to light over the weekend that some players had played in New York without proper sanction and their situation will have to regularised. Under proper procedures, that means referring the matter to the GAC."

By yesterday afternoon, the GAC had yet to hear from anyone on the matter.

The proper procedure for obtaining weekend leave to play in New York involves an application that must be signed by the player's club secretary, the relevant county secretary and the GAA's Director General. The clubs in New York are limited to three imported players per match - a rule that, on available evidence, would appear to have been breached.

As neither Soden nor Nugent, the county secretaries in Cavan and Armagh, were aware of having authorised players to play in New York it would seem that anyone from Cavan or Armagh who did so had no clearance. As the players alleged to have played had not been contacted by the county secretaries and their actions confirmed, their identities were not revealed.

Only six months ago, the chairpersons of the Munster and Connacht Councils, Noel Walsh and PJ McGrath, went to the US to discuss the whole issue of players from Ireland playing in America. Their trip led to recommendations which formed the basis of revised rules which tightened up the area of transfers.

"I am disappointed and sad to see it happening," said Walsh about the current controversy. "Our meetings with officials out there, I felt, were very constructive and they were most cooperative but a lot of these pressures come from outside the association, from people with interests in the various clubs. The regulations were working quite well but in the final stages of a championship, it's obviously gloves off.

"It's highly unlikely that disciplinary action will be taken from the date of the match. I'd say Kerry took that action (standing, down the players in question) as a precaution.

The significance of the starting date of any suspensions is that a number of the players involved have played since in National Football League matches with their counties. If their suspensions ran from November 3rd, they would face a doubling of the suspension the punishment for playing while under suspension.

Furthermore, any team fielding a suspended player is liable to forfeit the match in which the players took part.

Running the suspensions from the date of any future hearing, however, means that the prescribed six month bans won't be served out until the beginning of June, well into the championship season. Even appeals to the GAA Congress Mercy Committee can't be heard until April, so unless the GAC takes a lenient view of the transgressions, affected players will be out of action for a long time.