The GAA appear unlikely to entertain any request from Donegal to have their game with Dublin moved out of Croke Park.
The Ulster side have asked to meet with GAA bosses after questioning why Dublin will be allowed to have two games at Croke Park during the new quarter-final round robin series while the other counties are scheduled to have just one.
New: Donegal GAA are not going to settle for the current situation that sees their Super 8 clash with Dublin take place in Croke Park. OTB AM understands the county board are looking to meet with the GAA in the coming days in a bid to get the venue changed. #GAA #OTBAM
— Off The Ball: AM (@OffTheBallAM) July 3, 2018
Every other team will play one game in Croke Park, as well as a home and an away match. The Donegal county board went public on Tuesday night to express their concerns and to seek clarity as to whether a country can use Croke Park both as a home and neutral venue, in advance of the fixture on July 14th.
In a statement Donegal GAA said: "Following the announcement today by the CCCC regarding venues for the All-Ireland Quarter-Final Group stage (Super 8's) games.
"C.L.G. Dhún na nGall are to seek a meeting with GAA Officials to seek clarification on how any County may use a Ground as both Neutral and a Home venue .
"The intention of the meeting is to ensure a level playing field for every team who will qualify for the All-Ireland Quarter-Final Group Stage and ensure that no team has any advantage over any other team."
A spokesperson for the GAA addressed this issue last week, Director of Communications Alan Milton appeared on ‘Off The Ball’ and said that the game would not be moving:
“This all went before congress where every county has representation and it was common knowledge from the get-go when the new quarter final formats were discussed and laid out that this anomaly existed.
“It existed then, it exists now and the fact of the matter is all the games are taking part in Croke Park in the first round, it’s not Dublin’s fault.
“They’re taking place in Croke Park it just so happens that Dublin is in the capital and the Dublin GAA team is based here, there’s nothing that can be done about that.
“The third round game, Parnell Park could not facilitate all the season ticket holders for Dublin and the team they’ll be playing against.
"That’s the conundrum and I don’t see wiggle room in the rule as it exists, it’s probably a matter for congress next February if counties feel sufficiently strongly that they want to revisit it.”
The now seemingly divisive motion was passed by a margin of 76%-24%. Donegal, Kerry, Meath, Galway, Mayo, and Monaghan were among those who supported the motion and representatives spoke in favour of it.
Eleven speakers supported the proposal to change the format before then GAA president Aogan Ó Fearghail requested a counter argument in the interest of balance, nobody provided one at the time.
Donegal manager Declan Bonner expressed his frustration with the situation on Off The Ball:
“If someone said the game was going to be played at a neutral venue, then you would expect somewhere like Clones, like Cavan, a neutral venue, not going into Dublin's back-yard to play a match that is a so-called neutral match.”
Should Dublin vs Donegal be moved from Croke Park? That was a topic for discussion on Wednesday’s OTB AM. Ger and Eoin heard from Jim McGuinness, Philly McMahon, Declan Bonner, Darren Cleary and Kevin Cassidy. You can watch it back here:
