Donegal holiday row rumbles on

December 10, 2014

Donegal line up for the clash with Armagh in Croke Park. INPHO

Negotiations are ongoing between players and county board officials in a bid to resolve a problem surrounding the Donegal senior footballers team holiday.

The Irish News reports that the defeated All-Ireland finalists will go on a holiday during the three-week break between rounds two and three of the Football League and the destination will be either Dubai or Miami.

The GAA will provide a grant of €80,000 towards the cost while the team's holiday fund has raised an additional €110,000 but it is understood that players who are unable to travel will not receive any compensation in the form of travel vouchers.

And that is a sticking point in the negotiations.

"We are working within the guidelines of the GAA and Revenue," Donegal treasurer Cieran Kelly pointed out.

"Before a county board can draw down the grant for the holiday they have to sign up to those guidelines from Croke Park and that is what we have done.

"This is being driven by one or two individuals. I am not a man for airing stuff in public. I am the county treasurer and I want to do what is right for Donegal GAA. We will work within the guidelines.

"If there are one or two people who want to drive an different agenda that is up to themselves. We were lucky enough that we had the foresight to budget for this at the start of the year.

"Back last January, whenever I was doing the budgets, there was no word of an All-Ireland final. It was the furthest thing from our minds. We are working within the GAA and Revenue guidelines as they are supplied to us by the finance directors in Croke Park."

All Star goalkeeper Paul Durcan is due to get married after Christmas but he had made it known that he wouldn't object if the holiday took place then.

His team-mates insisted, however, that a date should be found to accommodate the Four Masters clubman.


Most Read Stories