GAA president Nickey Brennan has backed the Cork board in their dispute with players over the appointment of football manager Teddy Holland and hopes the situation will be resolved this week.
Talks aimed at resolving the players strike and hosted by LRC mediator Ciaran Mulvey, broke down over the weekend prompting Brennan to comment publicly on the impasse this morning.
In an statement released by the GAA, Brennan said he was "saddened and disappointed" no resolution could be reached and expressed his regret that Mulvey's involvement failed to broker an agreement.
Brennan added that while he understood "the emotive environment that currently prevails in relation to the appointment of the cork senior football team manager, it had to be accepted that the cork county board had the authority and was within its rights under the rules of the Association to effect the appointment made."
He insisted that "Central Council cannot offer any further assistance or involvement and he expected confirmation from Cork as to their ability to participate in the Allianz National Leagues later in the week."
However, with the players still unwilling to play under Holland, and the county board refusing to countenance his removal, there appears to be little prospect of both sides resolving their differences ahead of Saturday's NFL match against Meath.
Mulvey, the chief executive of the labour relations commision, is available to mediate with the two sides again if he is requested to do so, according to Brennan.
"He (mulvey) is conducting this, by the way, in an absolutely private capacity, not as the chief executive of the body which he works with," Brennan told assembled media today. "And he's utterly determined to stay with the process, hence saying to me that he is prepared to give up more of his time to come back and keep the parties working on this thing until a resolution comes out."