Offaly board to address complaints

The Offaly County Board will tonight formally address the complaints of their senior football panel and attempt to resolve the current crisis that has resulted in the players withdrawing their services.

According to the county chairman, Tommy Byrne, the players are expected to have a more detailed list of complaints for the county board's consideration.

The players themselves called a special meeting last night in order to put down in writing what they feel the county board needs to address as a matter of urgency, particularly the treatment of the football management. Gerry Fahy announced on Monday night that he wouldn't be taking up the management position for another year as a direct result of the county board's apparent lack of support. "At this stage our main concern is to solve the problem in the interest of the future of football in the county," said Byrne.

"We are expecting a more detailed response from the players, because all we've had so far is the short statement we got yesterday morning. So we'll have to see what direction they want to go."

With regard to possible negotiations with Fahy, there would, said Byrne, always be room for some compromise: "Well I'm not going to close doors on anyone at this stage. But I've been emphasising all along that all decisions concerning this matter were taken by a full county board meeting, not by management committee and certainly not by any individuals. So we'll take the views of the delegates on this matter again, so there's no point in me saying any more than that before then.

"You have to let situations like this settle a bit. Obviously, the situation with the players is not good, but I can't comment on something I haven't got, and until the players expand on their position I can't say what they should or shouldn't do."

So far, the players haven't expanded on their brief statement outlining their discontent at the "callous treatment and lack of support for outgoing management, previous management, and players, from the Offaly county board for the last number of years". There are expected to appoint a spokesperson on the matter, most likely to be team captain Ciarán McManus.

The GAA, meanwhile, has confirmed the dates and venues for the upcoming M Donnelly Inter-provincial championships in both football and hurling - the main point being that the football final will be played in Paris in the grounds of Stade Colombes on Saturday, November 13th. GAA president Seán Kelly confirmed that the decision to play the football final in Paris was based primarily on the success of the hurling final held in Rome last November.

"We were delighted with the response we received in Rome last year," said Kelly, "and I know that all of the players derived great satisfaction from the trip. We were treated to an intense game of top quality hurling and I have no doubt that the football final will be equally enjoyable this year."

The game will be organised in conjunction with the European Board and the Paris Gaels club in the city, and is set the mark the first high-profile Gaelic football match to be played in continental Europe.

The two football semi-finals will take place on October 31st when Connacht will play Ulster in Castlebar and Leinster will meet Munster in Mullingar.

The semi-finals of the hurling championship will take place on the weekend of October 23rd/24th with Ulster playing Connacht in Casement Park on Saturday the 23rd and Leinster playing Munster in Croke Park on Sunday the 24th.

The Croke Park semi-final will be played as a curtain-raiser to the second test of the International Rules series between Ireland and Australia. The final of the hurling competition will be played on November 7th, with the venue yet to be decided.

Kildare's Mark Herbert will be aiming to make it five All-Ireland titles in a row at the MBNA Kick Fada final on Saturday, set for the Bray Emmets Club in Wicklow. There will be over 30 inter-county football players, male and female, participating in what has become an increasingly popular title.

Among the other contenders are Wexford's Mattie Forde, Roscommon's Shane Curran and the aforementioned Ciaran McManus. The women's Gaelic football association yesterday launched the extension of the Gaelic Telecom Service to members and supporters of their association.