Players will not line out for interim management

Hurling/ Dublin crisis: Dublin hurlers have announced that they will not play for the proposed interim management team, headed by county chair John Bailey.

In a statement released yesterday by the Gaelic Players Association, the team also took "serious issue" with what they maintain was intimidation of players, who had stated their intention not to co-operate with the interim management.

"Under no circumstances will we fulfil any fixture with the proposed 'interim' management team as presented to us last Thursday night in Parnell Park (and) which included John Bailey at the helm," reads the statement. "The players have taken serious issue with the threat, implied or otherwise, that Dublin hurlers who did not accept this 'interim' management team would be forbidden from playing with Dublin in the future.

"Although these claims were categorically denied by the county board chairman John Bailey on local radio on Friday evening, we wish to re-emphasise that this intimidation of players did occur last Thursday night in Parnell Park.

"As players we feel very strongly that no player should now, or at any stage in the future, be subjected to such abuse by a member of the county board or management team. We ask that this issue be addressed in the appropriate forum."

The players will present a letter, detailing their grievances, to the county board meeting on Tuesday night. Yesterday's statement said the hurling panel would continue to train and called on the county board to appoint an interim management before settling on a longer-term appointment and to withdraw any restrictions on the right of any new management to select the players they wish.