GAA heroes unite in call to hand over the Páirc for charity game
Clamour for a change of heart as bosses meet fundraising group today
SOME of the most famous names associated with the GAA have joined the growing chorus of calls for the Liam Miller testimonial match to be held in Páirc Uí Chaoimh.
Stars of the game such as Teddy McCarthy, Billy Morgan and the voice of the GAA himself Mícheál Ó Muircheartaigh have pleaded with Croke Park for a change of heart.
Cork star Teddy McCarthy, the only player ever to win a hurling and football All-Ireland in the same year, said: ‘I think the rules and regulations are used by Croke Park when it suits them. Páirc Uí Chaoimh got €30million towards its revamp and as a result, I think all sports should be catered for there.
‘The people of Cork have shown great support for Liam Miller and I haven’t heard a single dissenting voice from anyone who says the game shouldn’t be held at Páirc Uí Chaoimh.’
He added: ‘There is a disconnect between Croke Park and working men and women.’
Cork football star Niall Cahalane believes someone high up made a ‘rash decision’ but hopes common sense will prevail.
‘I would be horrified if this hasn’t all just come about because of a mistake on the part of the GAA,’ he said.
Former Cork goalkeeper and football manager Billy Morgan described it as ‘embarrassing’, and former GAA presenter Mícheál Ó Muircheartaigh said the testimonial ‘should have gone ahead from the start’, and he is confident that it will.
Morgan told RTÉ’s Today With Seán O’Rourke: ‘My own reaction is one of disgust. And speaking to fellow GAA members over the weekend, their feelings were the same. We see no reason why the game can’t go ahead in Páirc Uí Chaoimh.’
The testimonial organisers will meet GAA officials today, and last night Cork City Lord Mayor Mick Flynn said that Michael O’Flynn, chairman of the Liam Miller organising committee, will be there along with GAA director general Tom Ryan and GAA president John Horan.
The GAA was unavailable to answer questions put to it by the Irish Daily Mail, last night.
The controversy erupted last week when it emerged that the GAA would not allow Páirc Uí Chaoimh be used to host the September event.
As a result of Rule 42, which prohibits sports other than Gaelic games at GAA venues, the tribute match would have to be played at Cork City FC’s ground, Turner’s Cross, which only holds 7,000 people. It soldout in under 60 seconds when tickets went on sale last Friday.
Currently, Croke Park is the only GAA stadium which has
‘They use the rules when it suits them’
permission to host non-Association sports after a vote in 2005.
The tribute match for the family of the Ireland soccer international, who died aged 36 of pancreatic cancer earlier in the year, was announced last Wednesday and all money raised will go to his family. Those taking part include former Manchester United stars Roy Keane, Ryan Giggs, Louis Saha, Rio Ferdinand, and Paul Scholes.
They will play a former Ireland national team players, managed by current manager Martin O’Neill.
According to the GAA, the rule can only be overturned by a GAA Congress vote of 60%, and the earliest that can happen is February.
Their actions come just weeks after the row over the GAA’s Central Competitions Control Committee’s decision not to allow Kildare host their All-Ireland SFC qualifier against Mayo in St Conleth’s Park, Newbridge. But they were forced to back down.
Many feel the GAA will again be forced to back down this time.
Although he grew up in the fertile GAA territory of Ovens, outside Cork city, and lined out for his local club, Éire Óg, Liam ended up playing soccer for the nearby team in Ballincollig before playing for Celtic, Manchester United and Sunderland. He signed for Queen’s Park Rangers before returning to Scotland to play two seasons for Hibernian.
After leaving Edinburgh in 2011, he moved to the Australian league, for teams including Perth Glory,
‘My reaction is one of disgust’
Brisbane Roar, and Melbourne City. In 2015, he came home to play for Cork City, where he was part of the team that finished runners-up to an all-conquering Dundalk FC in that year’s FAI Cup Final.
After 12 months in Cork, Miller moved to the US to play for the Wilmington Hammerheads. It was there that he was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer, and he returned to Ireland for treatment.
He died in February of this year, leaving his wife Clare and three children: Kory, Leo and Belle.
The death of a well-known sportsman at the age of just 36 shocked the country and led to an outpouring of grief in his native Cork.
His former team-mate and manager, Roy Keane, said he was stunned to learn of his death, which prompted him to arrange the testimonial in aid of his young family. See also: Liam Hayes – Page 12 and Philip Lanigan – Page 53
neil.michael@dailymail.ie