From The Echo
Well-known Cork County Board delegate John Arnold has resigned as a PĂĄirc UĂ Chaoimh steward because he believes that the GAA are enabling what is in effect a rugby fundraiser at the venue.
Munster will face a South Africa selection at the PĂĄirc in November and, at Tuesday nightâs county board meeting, Bride Rovers delegate Arnold handed back his stewarding bib.
âIâm stepping down as a steward because of the fact that thereâs a rugby match, a fundraiser for the IRFU, being played in PĂĄirc UĂ Chaoimh,â he says.
âI wasnât overly happy when the Liam Miller match was played a few years ago but that was very different â in fairness, you had a widow and small children and it was a fundraiser and I contributed to it myself.
âTheyâre saying Cork GAA could benefit to the tune of âŹ250,000 â but if thatâs the case, the IRFU or Munster Branch would be gaining a lot more. People will be giving out next year, asking why we donât put more coaches in the schools and itâs because we have to pay off the debt on the stadium â the IRFU can do that and itâs weâre funding them by effectively organising a fundraiser for them.
âIâm not a bigot â I donât hate soccer, rugby, racing, cycling, boxing, swimming, judo. I donât go to those but I love hurling and football and Iâm a member of the GAA.
âItâs not our duty to promote anything else. Why we should be bending over backwards and facilitating them when what weâre doing is creating more income for them, I donât know.
âIâm a conservative but some people think that thatâs bad anything old-fashioned has to be got rid of. We say the GAA is democratic but this was given to us as a fait accompli â maybe Iâm in a minority of one but at least let it be discussed.
âIf someone came from Cincinnati, Luxembourg, Germany or Australia and asked you, âIs it true the Cork hurling team werenât able to play in PĂĄirc UĂ Chaoimh and had to go to Thurles but a rugby team from South Africa could play there?â youâd be a while explaining that to them.â
The rugby game is seen as a testing ground for a potential Heineken Champions Cup game at PĂĄirc UĂ Chaoimh. Another possible issue that Arnold foresees is the fact that attendees at the sold-out fixture may be allowed to have alcohol at their seats, something prohibited at GAA games.
âThe ethos when Rule 42 was abolished was, âGod help us, theyâve no stadium, Lansdowne Road is being knocked down and you couldnât ask them to go over to England, you have to help a neighbour when heâs homeless,ââ he says.
âThe ink wasnât dry on that when they went away from the idea of it being a temporary measure.
âThe alcohol issue is a complete joke â I wouldnât like to be a steward next year telling someone they couldnât bring alcohol in when theyâd say they had it at their seats for the rugby match.â
