Croke Park set to host soccer

GAA STANCE: Croke Park is in line to host the 2008 European soccer championship finals. The dramatic news emerged after a high-ranking GAA delegation - consisting of president Seán McCague, director general Liam Mulvihill and PRO Danny Lynch - met the Government last night to discuss the predicament over today's deadline for the Euro 2008 application. The meeting was called at the Government's request.Although the GAA are not in a position to offer any undertakings on the matter ahead of next April's annual congress, their representatives were happy that the FAI bid proceed on the basis that Croke Park will be available.

It is unclear whether this will be enough to satisfy UEFA's protocol.

Rule 42 of the Official Guide is down for repeal at congress, with proposals that responsibility for the use of Croke Park be assigned to Central Council. Whereas the GAA's top officials have not undertaken to pre-empt the outcome of that debate, their acquiescence in allowing headquarters to be used for the bid suggests tacit support.

But aside from the strict requirements of the rulebook, there are the political considerations. Although a similar motion came within two votes of acceptance at last year's congress, there are no guarantees about how Congress will react to real or perceived pressure.

There have been straws in the wind indicating that a change of heart on the issue was imminent. The report of the Strategic Review Committee (SRC) recommended that Central Council should be delegated to make decisions in relation to the use of Croke Park "as soon as the surface of the new pitch has proved its stability". SRC chairman and former GAA president Peter Quinn was the first to fly this particular kite, at the congress in Galway two years ago and he recently restated on RTÉ's Questions and Answers his view that Croke Park should be opened up to other sports.

The administration of the redeveloped Croke Park has already been handed over to a committee separate from the GAA's central organisation. That separation has continued with the placing of recruitment advertisements for a commercial manager and assistant financial controller. The use of the venue for other sports is considered by high-level sources in the GAA as "a matter of when rather than if".

On a related matter, the GAA's Management Committee will consider its response to comments made by the Minister for Finance Charlie McCreevy. Speaking at the Dail's Finance and Public Service Committee, the Minister defended his plans to grant in the Finance Bill tax breaks to professional sportspeople but not to GAA players who are amateur. He went on to compliment the IRFU who he said "had displayed great lateral thinking "by offering contracts to rugby players at the top level".

"A little bit of lateral thinking," he continued, "might not go amiss".

According to a GAA spokesperson: "It's inevitable there'll be a response to that. There's a lot of annoyance and not just at central level but around the country. The remarks are seen as disingenuous and patronisingly insulting."

In the context of the anxiety to talk to the GAA about their ground, the Minister's comments come at a bad time. In the words of one GAA official: "Here's the Government and the FAI looking for two stadiums. Soccer doesn't have one, the Government is fighting over their proposals for another and Lansdowne Road is falling down. The GAA are the only people with a stadium infrastructure. Talk about lateral thinking."

A further untimely awkwardness between the Government and the GAA is that the Taoiseach last week met representatives of the unofficial players' body, the GPA, for discussions about their concerns at being left out of the remit of the Finance Bill.

Tyrone defender Conor Gormley is Tyrone's only doubt for Sunday's National Football League game against Donegal at Ballybofey. Gormley had to go off after sustaining a heavy knock in last weekend's big win over Roscommon, but is expected to be included when the team is picked tonight.