Former New York manager Paddy Kearney has revealed that he quit his post last month after the county board refused to provide him with tickets for the All-Ireland football final. Speaking ahead of Sunday's FBD Connacht League final against Galway at Gaelic Park, the Kerry native said it wasn't the first time his request for tickets had been turned down. "I was manager before in 2003 but when I went looking for tickets for the All-Ireland final, I was told 'no'," he blasted. "After that, I swore I would not get involved. But then new rules were introduced and players and managers were sorted for tickets for the All-Ireland finals so I decided to come back. "I never put in an expense bill, I didn't ask for the price of gas or anything. But when it came to the All-Ireland, I felt I was more than entitled to get tickets for myself and my selectors, Pat Scanlon and Willie Lowry. "But when I went looking for them I was told I was not entitled to them and that there were people more entitled to me to get the tickets. Over the last couple of years, every chairman has given the manager tickets but for some reason, I was turned down. "It came up at a board meeting and in the end the chairman from the previous year, Seamus Dooley, gave me his own tickets so that I could go see Kerry and Tyrone." Kearney added: "They (the board) had the gall to call me up a week later, wondering when I was going back to the county team, after I was refused tickets! It was a disgrace the way I was treated and the way the players were treated. "You hear all this talk about what the players are entitled to, all the gear like tracksuits, gloves and boots. All our players got was a bag, a pair of socks, a tee-shirt and a jersey." After Kearney stepped down, Tyrone native Fergus Daly was appointed interim manager but lasted just six days. He has since been replaced by Cavan man Seamus Smith. Tweet

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