"I like debate; it is good as long as it is never nasty" - GAA President on Sky deal
July 19, 2017
GAA President Aogán Ó Fearghail at the All Ireland Senior Football Championship launch ©INPHO/Morgan Treacy
The GAA's pay-per-view TV deal with Sky is here to stay, according to GAA President Aogan O Fearghail.
Giving his reaction to 'Sunday Game' analyst's Michael Duignan's anti Sky outburst last Sunday week, the Cavan native insisted the GAA won't be swayed into changing their approach to how they negotiate their TV rights deals.
"Absolutely not," O Fearghail emphatically told The Irish Independent.
"We don't get any criticism from counties or clubs. We are very open in the GAA; there are no bonuses accruing to anyone, I am a volunteer president. The media rights is about that all that can go in can go (out.)
"Do we want to go back to the day, which the GAA used to do, to pay a media provider to cover our games? Those days are all over so there is no debate. There were 30 votes at Congress against the media rights deal. The debate is over.
"I met with the other Irish sporting bodies six weeks ago and they all said the same thing to me. They said that they wished they were as relevant to Irish society as we were.
"That is just the reality; people will always have a view on the GAA. I like debate; it is good as long as it is never nasty."
Tweet
