Tyrone pull out of next weekend’s All-Ireland semi-final

Tyrone have pulled out of the All-Ireland championship. According to a statement from the county on Saturday morning, its management committee decided that it "is not in a position to field its senior football team in the rescheduled All-Ireland championship in Croke Park next Saturday".

The county had looked for a two-week break between this weekend and the semi-final because of the impact of a Covid outbreak on the football panel. The GAA allowed six days and fixed the match for Saturday August 21st.

“This morning, the Tyrone GAA management committee has decided that it is not in a position to field its senior football team in the rescheduled All-Ireland football championship semi-final in Croke Park, on next Saturday.

“Having received expert medical opinion on the existing, and future health and welfare of the players who contracted the Covid19 virus during the period of this last two weeks, and following consultation with the team’s management, this decision has been made with the greatest reluctance, and with deep regret.

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“It is acknowledged that the decision taken will cause major disappointment and significant inconvenience for the Association, in general, the GAA fraternity of Kerry, and especially for Tyrone’s patrons and supporters, but the welfare and safety of players has been the over-riding factor in all considerations of this difficult situation.”

The GAA have yet to respond but the decision to concede a walkover in a match of this importance is unprecedented in modern times.

Speaking ahead of the first semi-final between Dublin and Mayo, Tyrone joint-manager Feargal Logan said his side would not be competitive next weekend if they had to play.

“I certainly know next weekend we couldn’t really be competitive and we wouldn’t be safe,” Logan told RTÉ Radio 1’s Saturday Sport programme.

Asked about the possibility of bringing in players from outside the squad, Logan admitted it would be a big ask at this stage of the season.

“Well if forced we could but it’s a very unforgiving environment – intercounty football – and it’s an unforgiving platform – All-Ireland semi-finals in Croke Park – and I’m not totally convinced that we could have brought people in and just said ‘go and put on the Tyrone jersey and play’.

“And that’s no disrespect to every club player in Tyrone, but we’re dealing with finely-tuned athletes at this stage, scientifically prepped and we find that it would be unsafe to put them out next weekend and that’s just a difficult situation we find ourselves in.”

Logan denied that that there were any lapses in Covid protocols among the Tyrone panel and pointed to the general situation with the disease in the community in mid-Ulster at the moment.

“I can assure you that the Tyrone county board and us as a management adhered, we did not act in breach, we honoured the position because society in general would not have been tolerant of anything [like that]. It’s invaded the community up here at the moment with this new variant and that’s where we find ourselves.

“We’ve been meeting outdoors, we haven’t had dressing-rooms, it’s just a terrible situation.”