*Clare LGFA Chair Seán Lenihan. Photograph: Burren Eye Photography
DEBATE and questions on what led to a three week delay of the Clare senior ladies football championship were shut down during a tetchy board meeting this weekend.
Club delegates gathered for a rare in-person meeting at Fr MacNamara Park on Tuesday evening in what was first meeting since the three week delay to the senior championship occurred.
An appeal had been lodged with Complaints Objections Disciplinary and Appeals (CODA) following the third round of games played in the senior championship at the beginning of September. This investigation focused on the registration of one Kilmihil player and the matter came to light following their game with Kilmurry Ibrickane.
Kilmihil’s Monica Callinan told the meeting she had questions relating to procedures, “we had this whole debacle”. Chairman of Clare LGFA, Seán Lenihan interrupted her contribution to point out, “before you start. We don’t want individual cases mentioned, we don’t want specifics mentioned of cases which have gone through a process”.
A former secretary of Clare LGFA, Monica pointed out that somebody must be a member of an organisation to bring an issue to CODA, “I will speak on my own case,” she said to which Lenihan interjected, “I will rule you out of order. It was not a debacle”.
Clarification was sought on three occasions over the past month by Kilmihil, “we never got clarification on who objected. I will continue to speak”. “Respect the Chair,” Lenihan said. “I need to be respected. You did not answer the questions asked. How did the Kilmihil team sheet land with county secretary before the referee’s report was filed,” Callinan asked.
Lenihan replied, “An issue arose, it was referred to by CODA”, he said the manner in which it came to light did not matter to which Enda O’Flaherty of St Joseph’s Doora/Barefield said “it does matter” as did Callinan. “Who in the Executive brought the issue forward. How did the issue come to light two hours after we played Kilmurry Ibricakne,” she asked.
“We won’t debate this across a public floor,” the Chairman said. Callinan replied, “you cannot submit something in writing without no signature or disclosure”. The Chairman said he was happy to “go to Dublin on this” and that CODA were “entitled to look into anything” while telling delegates “read the rules”.
Callinan told the meeting, “I’m aware of the rules”. The Chairman said, ‘we’re not getting into the individual cases” and added “the bottom line on the case you brought up and I feel bad bringing it up, it was referred to CODA by the Clare Executive, a hearing committee convened and the matter is closed”.
While attempting to ask further questions, Callinan said “you can complain me to CODA” and Lenihan said, “it is finished, I’m closing down the debate”. He acknowledged the presence of the media and advised that “meetings are normally very friendly”.
O’Flaherty questioned why it took three weeks to deal with the investigation. Lenihan said the matter was referred to CODA, “I’m not going into the detail” but said a second and third CODA had to be convened due to “a conflict of interest”. He continued, “we at all stages consulted with Dublin, the existing hearings committee had a conflict of interest so we had to compile a new committee”. Confusion exists because “CODA is impartial”, O’Flaherty said.
“I don’t care if ye want to complain me,” the Chairman told delegates. He said the officials are “here for the betterment” of ladies football in the county.
Kilmurry Ibrickane’s Ger Talty said an “issue that came up” as a result was “people saying stuff in the papers, people were reading stuff in the papers, we were mentioned as having an objection made which we had to clarify. We didn’t have an issue”.
Lenihan in response said the Executive never said they lodged an objection and pointed to the back of the room to this writer, “the author is there. Paudie who was your source”. The meeting was told by this writer, “A journalist never reveals their sources. I’m not here to talk at this meeting but seeing as I’ve been mentioned, who raised the issue and made the complaint”.
Talty said the media were “told lies” and the Chairman wrapped up the meeting, “if Paudie is not wiling to disclose who his source is then that’s on his conscience”.
Processes were not followed by CODA in relation to an un-registered player and another case involving a club referral it also emerged at the meeting.
