‘We feel that we’re being hard done by’

THE decision by the Government on Tuesday of this week to have all sporting fixtures played behind closed doors has been met with disappointment and dismay in the GAA community.

John Fintan Daly, the All-Ireland winning coach of Knocknagree, summed up the mood of many in the county and indeed the country this week when he outlined his disappointment at the Government decision.

“We feel, and I feel, that we’re being hard done by. I think that it [the GAA] is an easy target to shut down attendance and put it all behind closed doors without any real justification. I just think there’s no justification for it. There’s no evidence at all,” he said.

“There was no recorded incidents that we know of, in all this time back and all the contract tracing, of a case arriving from the playing of a game, either from either playing or training. We have been very, very responsible in the GAA, as you know, in everything that we’ve done since the start of this,” he continued.

The move is part of a suite of proposals recommended by National Public Health Emergency Team (NPHET) to stop the spread of Covid-19, which has seen a spike in cases in recent weeks, particularly in the midlands.

Up to now 200 people had been allowed attend games. The 200 figure included players, management teams, officials and media. Under the new proposals only players and management teams will be present on match day.

The decision to restrict the attendance at sporting occasions could very well imperil the prospects for the playing of a senior inter-county All Ireland championship this year.

The new measures are set to stay in operation until Sunday, September 13 at the earliest, which at least gives plenty of time for the GAA to assess their position with the National Leagues and the provincial hurling championships set to get underway in October under their present roadmap.

In reaction to reports about the restrictions on sporting fixtures, the leader of the Labour Party, Mr Alan Kelly TD, summed up the mood of many people by commenting that “Sporting Events are not the Problem!!!”.

At a press conference in Government Buildings An Taoiseach, Micheál Martin, also confirmed that numbers at training outdoor will be restricted to 15, with six allowed to train indoors.