Cork GAA chair backs Rebels footballers in venue row | Jack O'Connor: 'None of my business'
Cork GAA chairman responds to criticism of the county board stemming from the venue controversy surrounding the Rebels' upcoming Munster Senior Football Championship semi-final; Kerry manager Jack O'Connor said the venue row is none of his business
Monday 4 April 2022 11:45, UK
Cork GAA chairman Marc Sheehan has backed the county's senior footballers in their stance on the venue for the Rebels' Munster SFC semi-final against Kerry.
Keith Ricken's panel have indicated they will only play the contest in Cork's secondary stadium Páirc Uí Rinn, after the Munster Council fixed the tie for Killarney.
The Cork county board received criticism in the wake of the 'Páirc Uí Rinn or nowhere' venue row surrounding the Munster SFC semi-final against Kerry on May 7, with Peter Canavan stating they 'only have themselves to blame' after Ed Sheeran concerts were set for Páirc Uí Chaoimh.
Sheehan explained that the concerts were scheduled before the GAA had installed the split season, when it was believed that the stadium would not be needed for inter-county action in April.
"All our lives have been on pause in terms of the Covid situation. During that time we had the de facto split-season which has become the formal split-season," Sheehan told RTÉ.
"The Ed Sheeran concerts scheduled for late April are part of a world tour series. They came into the diary prior to the split-season. That essentially has been the crux which has brought about this situation.
"Ultimately we are appealing to the Munster Council now to reconsider their decision of last Wednesday night, for very good reasons.
"I think they will look on that, hopefully, very quickly and that it will be resolved and that the match will go ahead in Páirc Uí Rinn."
- Canavan: Cork GAA only have themselves to blame in venue row
- 'Páirc Uí Rinn or nowhere': Cork players refuse to play in Killarney
O'Connor: None of my business
We'll play wherever we're ordained to play and that's it.
With the Cork senior football panel stating that they will not play unless the game is moved to Páirc Uí Rinn, Kerry manager Jack O'Connor said he is happy to play anywhere.
"None of my business," he said, when quizzed on the issue.
"It's not me or whoever will decide that. We'll play wherever we're ordained to play and that's it. I won't get involved in that. It's not my area.
"We'll just concentrate on getting the team ready and everything else is out of our hands. There's no point us going public with what we think because we know it won't matter in the end anyway."
