The refusal of the Gaelic Athletic Association to relax its rules on the playing of other sports at Croke Park (Rule 42) may have been expected but it raises two questions for the association's leadership.
GAA president, Mr Sean McCague, has strenuously denied that he played any role in persuading delegates to reject the Clare motion to devolve authority for the use of Croke Park to the association's Central Council.
That may be but there are many ways to influence a debate. Allowing irrational concerns to rage like wildfire can be as successful as overtly calling for rejection. Although its outcome was no surprise, Saturday's debate on the issue was dismally ill-informed. To listen to some delegates, an observer would get the impression that soccer as an organised sport is on its last legs and needs access to Croke Park as some sort of life-support system.
In fact the FAI will simply continue to play its international matches elsewhere, pay its rent to the IRFU and pocket the balance. Should Stadium Ireland be built - a prospect strengthened by the weekend's events - the FAI will pay no rent and pocket the lot. The most obvious loser in this is the GAA. Fretting about the exposure that soccer at Croke Park might receive ignores the reality that the exposure will take place regardless of where the matches are played.
By presiding over debates the keynotes of which are lack of generosity and obtuseness, Mr McCague does the GAA no service in the wider public context. Secondly the manner in which the GAA's every move on this topic facilitates the furthering of the Taoiseach's Stadium Ireland project has focused attention on the closeness of the relationship between the GAA and the current government. It can be argued that the Taoiseach's enthusiasm for sport has had positive spin-offs for organisations other than the GAA but there is concern within the association at the perceived partiality towards Mr Ahern and his party.
President-elect of the GAA, Mr Sean Kelly, who takes over next year implicitly acknowledged this by stressing that his presidency would be "non-political". Rule 42 may be back on the agenda for a special congress in the autumn but in the meantime the GAA's tortuous dealings on the subject have done the association and Mr McCague's otherwise impressive presidency little credit.