The GAA have made light of apparent dug-out controversy before Sunday's All-Ireland football semi-final between Kildare and Kerry at Croke Park.

Kerry took the field first and occupied the dug-out closest to the Canal End. Kildare believed that they had been allocated the same dug-out, as it ran parallel with their dressing-room and there appeared to be some confusion when they took the pitch.

Kerry PRO Willie O'Connor said: "Kerry had been using that dug-out since 12.15 when the under-21 hurlers played Kildare and there was simply no sense in shifting water bottles back and forth between dugouts." The Kerry minor team had also used the same dug-out earlier, which possibly explains why their senior counterparts were drawn to that area.

GAA PRO Danny Lynch said: "There was no real controversy about it. The dug-outs are normally allocated in relation to the location of the supporters and most of the Kerry fans were concentrated at the Canal End. Also, the Kerry minors had been using that dug-out since noon, so it was fairly natural that the seniors positioned themselves there."

Lynch also confirmed that the GAA would not be offering compensation to supporters who found that their seats at Sunday's semi-final had been double booked. The GAA admitted that a small number of duplicate tickets had been sold but felt that the minority who were inconvenienced were adequately relocated.

"It is not that big an issue. Those who were discommoded were given alternative places. Nobody was unable to see the game," he said, adding that the GAA would investigate the reason for the error.