The Gaelic Players Association are furious that no GAA representatives attended a meeting yesterday with Minister for Sport John O’Donoghue to discuss the introduction of government sports grants.
The GPA says it sent a number of formal invitations to senior GAA officials but received no response. This has incensed members and an emergency meeting has been convened for next week.
The GAA's attendance at the meeting would not have prejudiced any decisions taken by them in relation to future matters, the GPA insists.
A GPA statement today said its members are incensed and "are no longer prepared to accept the GAA’s excuses, procedural or otherwise, for a lack of progress and non-cooperation.
The players’ body claim the GAA has been "inconsistent" and "apathetic" in regard to the sports grants issue.
GPA chief Dessie Farrell played down suggestion of a player strike but refused to entirely rule out the notion. "Until we speak to our members we wont be ruling anything in or out," he said.
Although the GPA acknowledges GAA president Sean Kelly’s support for the grant scheme, Minister O’Donoghue will not progress with the issue until he has full cooperation from Croke Park.
Croke Park, though, stress that further discussions on the grants scheme were, at the last Central Council meeting, deferred until incoming president Nickey Brennan takes office next month
The GAA has yet to issue an official reaction to the GPA statement while GPA members insist they will not tolerate any further delays in dialogue.