Peace reigns in Kingdom as O'Se apologises

The Kerry county board will be hoping the recent controversy surrounding the senior football management team has finally been put to bed after holding a press conference this evening to announce a resolution of the row between manager Paidi O'Se and fitness trainer John O'Keefe.

Relations between the two men had deteriorated alarmingly in the wake of the now infamous interview given by O'Se to a Sunday newspaper a fortnight ago, culminating in O'Keefe's refusal to take training at Banna Strand on Saturday.

This led to fears O'Keefe, hurt at perceived slights of his training methods made by O'Se in that fateful Sunday Independentinterview, would tender his resignation.

However, after a weekend of meetings between the county board and all parties concerned it appears the whole fiasco may finally be at an end.

While both men chose to stay away from a specially convened press conference in Tralee, county chairman Sean Walsh read separate statements on their behalf in which they agreed to work together next season.

In his statement Paidi O'Se apologised for the distress his remarks may have caused O'Keefe and thanked his trainer and selector for his "unstinting support" as team manager.

"I regard John O'Keefe as a man of the highest integrity and confirm my total confidence in him as physical trainer and selector of the Kerry football team," O'Se said in the statement.

He continued: "At all times John O'Keefe has acted in the best possible motives. I specifically confirm that the physical training programmes he has prepared and implemented are consistently appropriate and effective. I particularly value the unstinting support he has given me in my role as team manager.

"I apologise to John and his family for the distress I have caused them in recent weeks. I have the greatest respect for John's professionalism and his loyalty and commitment to Kerry football."

In his statement, O'Keefe confirmed that after a private meeting with his manager, he would "continue to act as physical trainer and selector."

Both men declared they would be making no further comment on the matter.

Meanwhile, Sean Kelly, the president-elect of the GAA, has lent his support to the notion of a transfer system between counties in both hurling and football in order to shift the balance of power and bolster weaker sides.

Kelly, who recently made it clear that he had no difficulty in opening Croke Park to other sports, would welcome the movement of fringe players in strong counties to teams where they would feature regularly.

"I know some people would have (a problem with it), but the more ideas we have out there to discuss the better," said the . Certainly, the weaker counties need a leg up to have a chance of making progress," he said.

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