Published: Wednesday, 21st October, 2009 2:05pm

Dempsey blasts CCC

by Fergal Lynch

Meath's Central Council representative Brendan Dempsey has hit out at his own Co Committee's Competitions Control Committee (CCC) over their handling of the debacle that led to Sunday's SFC final between Wolfe Tones and Seneschalstown being postponed.

Dempsey was angered by some members of the CCC who have chosen to lay the blame for yet another embarrassing fiasco at Co Committee level at the clubs' doors.

The former chairman, who may consider running for the post again at Convention in December, has clarified a number of issues regarding the rules and claims that the CCC have only themselves to blame for the current situation.

"Croke Park issued a directive in May clearly outlining the new situation regarding extra-time. This information was duly brought to the attention of our management committee at our next meeting. I, as Central Council delegate, also got a copy and I informed our management committee of the new guidelines and they were discussed at length," said Dempsey.

"At the following Co Committee meeting these new instructions were relayed to club delegates. The print media highlighted the new instructions in the newspapers the following week in an interview with the secretary of CCCC.

"These clear instructions were that the prior consent to extra-time must be sought the week before the game, preferably in writing, or failing this that consent should be got at the end of normal time. The difficulties in getting consent at end of normal time are obvious that is why the prior written consent was the favoured option

"These instructions were not followed for whatever reason by our CCCC and as a result clubs, as is their right, used our rule book to their advantage.

The best advice from Croke Park was ignored and subsequently the responsibility for our present difficulties lie with our administrators, not our clubs," concluded Dempsey.

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