IT NOW seems certain that the four Kerry players who took part in matches in New York without official permission will be suspended for six months at a meeting of the Games Administration Committee of the GAA at Croke Park next week.

The four have written to the GAC admitting that they played in New York without going through official channels. But the six-month minimum sentence is mandatory and there is no way of avoiding it, apart from an appeal to the mercy committee which meets during the annual congress of the GAA next Easter.

The secretary of the GAC at Croke Park, Sean O Laoire, confirmed yesterday that the matter will be discussed by his committee sometime next week.

The four Kerry players involved are Dara O Se and his brother Fergal, Dara O Cinneide and Sean Geaney, all members of the Kerry squad. O Cinneide and the O Se brothers are from the Gaeltacht club, the club of the Kerry manager, Paidi O Se.

The date of the suspensions has yet to be decided. It is expected that these will begin from the date of the meeting next week, which would rule them out for the rest of National League and possibly for the start of the championship.

If the suspensions date from the start of December they will continue until the end of May.

The players from other counties who are alleged to have played without permission in the US have not been reported to the GAC. It is believed that two from Donegal and one each from Cavan and Armagh played without official sanction, but this has not been confirmed.

Meanwhile two players formerly from the Lamh Dearg club in Antrim, but now registered with the Donegal club in Philadelphia, have been suspended from the GAA for two years.

The players, Donal O'Hara and Brendan Elliot, have had their suspensions confirmed by the North American board following representations from Philadelphia which alleged that they had continued to play with the Tyrone club in New York after being suspended following an incident after a match.