Conscientious objectors likely

IT’S all a little bit head-spinning at the minute reading the back pages of our various newspapers. For every person who does there’s another who doesn’t.

In the last two days alone we’ve had All Ireland final referee David Gough suggesting he wouldn’t return to action without a vaccine, while Kerry wunderkind David Clifford suggested he would be reasonably happy to play games behind closed doors if that’s all that was available.

Of course, it’s totally understandable that people are torn about the prospects for a return to action. These are not ordinary times and not everybody’s circumstances will be the same. Not everybody will feel comfortable with returning to contact sport at a time when the virus is not fully contained.

It leaves us in a strange position of wondering what might happen in the absence of unanimity amongst players and match officials. The GPA will likely have to ballot members in the coming months as a potential return to action approaches. Obviously, under no circumstances will anybody be compelled to play against their conscientious objection – it’s an amateur sport and even if it wasn’t nobody should be forced to play against their will – but there is a flip side to that too. Should the will of a potential majority in favour of return be stymied if there’s a significant minority against it?

Would you need a two-thirds majority in favour? Four fifths? More than that? Is it okay for a coalition of the willing to return? We’d suggest it probably is and that it’s probably for the best that they do, but that also puts pressure on the guys who would like to opt out. You can see how it all could get very messy.

There’s nothing clear cut about any of this. It’s highly unlikely that a vaccine will be found in time for this year’s championship and even if one were it’s pretty much impossible that production and distribution of it could be ramped up in time. If a championship takes place it will be in the shadow of COVID-19. That’s the reality we’re living in – how people assess risk in that environment is totally up to themselves. It has to be.

Maybe we’ll get to the point where testing will be so rigorous that a lot of these issues will resolve themselves or maybe we’ll get to the stage where an effective treatment can be found and the vaccine issue will be moot. No we’re not holding our breath either.

We’re in for the long haul.