Donegal board reject Harkin player pay call

The relationship between the Gaelic Players Association (GPA) and certain county boards became even more strained yesterday with a statement from the executive committee of the Donegal County Board disassociating themselves from the recent comments made by the county's chairman, Danny Harkin.

Early last week Harkin made a series of public comments on the issue of financial compensation for intercounty players, arguing that the GPA were "underselling themselves" by seeking payments of €127 per week as compensation for expenses incurred in playing the game, and said a figure of between €300 to €400 would be more like it.

Following their meeting on Monday night, however, the Donegal county executive yesterday stated their "full endorsement of the Amateur Status of the GAA, as outlined in Rule 12 of the Official Guide". According to a spokesperson for the county board, the intention was to disassociate themselves from any comments that would be in breach of GAA guidelines.

"Danny Harkin deserves to be complimented on his courage and vision," said GPA chief executive Dessie Farrell yesterday, "and now, hopefully, a number of similarly prominent GAA officials will come out of the woodwork and express support for the GPA's claims."