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THE DEPARTMENT OF Transport, Tourism and Sport has confirmed that it will not intervene if next week’s American football game in the Aviva Stadium goes ahead with sanction.
The game between Boston College and Georgia Tech has been at the centre of a bitter dispute between the sport’s national governing body (NGB), the Irish American Football Association (IAFA) and the organisers of the event, Irish American Events Ltd (IAEL).
IAEL had applied for sanctioning for the game, but was rejected due to IAFA reservations over health, safety and insurance requirements.
IAFA had argued its status as a governing body, recognised by Sport Ireland, gave it a right to stop the game going ahead.
However, a Department spokesperson told TheJournal.ie that it would not be getting involved – because while it believes that NGBs are the best way to run sport in Ireland, there are no laws to allow them step in.
While the Department would encourage sporting event holders to seek sanction of the relevant NGB, we respect the autonomy of both events organisers and sporting organisations generally.
There are no legislative provisions that require event organisers to seek sanction from Ireland’s NGBs nor are there legislative requirements that compel those NGBs to grant sanction.
That statement would appear to be at odds with what the former junior Sports Minister Michael Ring, who said in the wake of the death of fighter Joao Carvalho that MMA should have an NGB.
“The NGB, like all other NGBs that are recognised by Sport Ireland, would be responsible for setting and overseeing appropriate standards, including standards relating to safety and governance.”
Undermining
The IAFA, for its part, says that IAEL applied for sanctioning and was refused after failing to pass health, safety and insurance requirements. A separate dispute over a €15,000 bill for a bespoke sanctioning contract remains ongoing between the parties.
This bill was accrued after IAEL entered the sanctioning process. IAFA claims they signed a document agreeing to pay any legal fees incurred, but have yet to do so, leading to interest on the fees.
IAFA has today released a statement outlining their issues with the game.
An IAFA spokesperson said the Department’s stance would have repercussions across sport.
The Department have undermined all NGBs and the regulation of all sporting events by their actions. We are concerned that promoters have been given carte blanche to run events.
“The IAFA would expect fellow NGBs to respect the NGB system and we would expect Sport Ireland and the Department to take into account compliance with NGB codes of conduct, which exists to protect safety and governance in sport, when it comes to the payment of grants.”
A spokesperson for the game, which takes place next Saturday, said they had hoped to engage with IAFA, but this had not been possible.
“It was always hoped that the organisers could work IAFA but has not been possible.
“We are looking forward to the game going ahead and being a success.”
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I respect the science on climate change. I do not trust the Green Party as govt partners nor independently.
Do you trust FFG? The last govt was FFG + INDs, if you trust independents. See the gov from 2016-2020.
@Oh Mammy: The poster said they respect it. Stop being a tool!
@Paul Gorry: I am a tool? Read the article, miscreant
@K Brennan: Or any other party you should say
He had his chance and blew it. He could have made demands of FF/FG, as to what ministries he wanted before entering coalition. He has set us back years and made the Greens a bad memory.
@BarryH: that’s what the greens are about. it’s the same in the rest of Europe. they only tax, take unpopular measures, torn themselves like wolves when in power. they represent the comfortable bourgeoisie or the young with no or low income.
The Greens got elected on an environmental agenda – not the woke & open immigration policies that they gave promoted. Environmental laws are now built into EU and Irish law as well as the fact that the Greens took their eves off the ball and gave us overpriced bicycle sheds / badly designed bicycle lanes and anti rural policies – so we have no need for their other Loony Left other stuff.
@Thomas Sheridan: Roderic O Gorman’s actions are currently costing the State Billions every year, money that wasn’t planned for. Roderic won’t explain to people where he is going to house the record numbers arriving here, when he grants them status or where the public services (which are at the point of collapse) are going to come from, no answers on that, just keep adding thousands of people to the problem. The man has seriously questionable ideologies & needs to be removed from office. The damage he has done to Tourism ax well is untold.
@SV3tN8M4: Roddy’s refugees are the backbone of this country, without military aged migrants working in our tourism sector, how on earth could we survive. I’m so happy he sent out an invitation to every Tom, Dick and Mohammed because without them our economy would collapse.
@SV3tN8M4: I think you will find that Putins invasion of Ukraine has cost the state billions that wasn’t planned for. If you don’t even mention this, then I can only conclude that you are debating in bad faith, and are a shill
@GE Zall: We don’t depend on anybody that gets rid of their travel documents between boarding a plane and presenting at immigration or that arrives undocumented from the UK, through NI.
We have many fine immigrants in the country and they have been made welcome because they entered legally and not by answering ROGs call.
I hope you understand the difference and also that people didn’t elect the Greens to push ideology.
@Kevin Kerr: The irony of Mr Multiple Identity calling me a Shill. I am just your average working Taxpayer disillusioned with the way our country is run & expressing my view on here, unlike you who everybody can clearly see is not actually an individual just a multiple identity of a Govt PR Spin Dept, in other words, a true Govt shill. It’s sad to see the depth you & your bosses have descended to, I never thought our country would outdo the worst of politics from around the world, but you truly have hit rock bottom. I am beginning to see that there is a direct link now between certain posters & the Journal also.
@SV3tN8M4: still no mention of the Russian invasion. Well done John, top marks for seeing the big picture. Oh, and I have one account here and nobody pays me for my posts, which is a shame really, but there you go
@Thomas Sheridan: Irish men and women speaking as if the Irish economy for the previous 100 hundred years wasn’t built on economic migrants, remind me what war they were running from? How it was impossible for them to get a oassport, no, sit down and be quiet then because you take the anti-Irish stand point which was there for 180 years but we’re rich now, well I amn’t and the majority aren’t, fourth in Europe for wealth inequality and you blame migrants, silly little boy.
@Brian D’Arcy: English translation please – I don’t understand doñƙèŷ
@Thomas Sheridan: do FFG get off a pass from you, as they brought in every “mass” migration policies and shantytowns? Next govt will be FFG and you won’t be able to blame anyone else.
@Brian D’Arcy: lolololol reread your comment. Hilarious. Everyone is laughing at your inability to string a few words together. You poor sod.
@9QRixo8H: I constantly criticised FFG, especially regarding their failure on imm immigration and housing.
The article specifically relates to the Greens, which is why I specifically commented on them and regularly draw attention to a gay green minister issuing an open invitation, in eight languages, for single young undocumented men to come and pick up their own front door key.
@SV3tN8M4: yes, it was so highly irresponsible of Roderic to start the Russian invasion of Ukraine and the ensuing requirement for Ireland (like all EU countries) to put arrangements in place to support refugees from that war.
Who cares what this fella says or trusts, and in other words none of them can influence our climate, to think they can is arrogance of the highest level.
@Ned: Gaslight the working man. Allow big business to pollute at will. Nobody believes Eamon’s bs. Life is too short for this nonsense.
The chap doesn’t know his own mind God love him. I do hope someday he realises the damage he’s caused to the nation.
@Mr “JonnieBoy” Johnson: he will need to take his medicine sooner or later!
Hey Eamonn, how about a solar panel and windmill for a domestic dwelling? How about something that saves people money while saving the environment?
@Michale Kane: great suggestion, something for the greens to do rather than their only approach, tax.
@Michale Kane: This is the crux of the argument for the Greens, their policies do not align with current problems people are experiencing, they seem to think that there has been “progress made over the last four years in public transport”!? This is baffling, he obviously sees restrictive policy as “progressive” which really just makes everything more difficult for people, yes remove traffic from the quay, good idea, but in reality it compounds and exacerbates existing problems, so you can be guaranteed the “progress” they speak of is not in relation to people that need it.
Eamon Ryan, Stephen Donnelly and Roderic O Gorman, just the sight of them makes me feel sorry for any government trying to run a country with those three holding any sort of sway.
No confidence or respect or conviction in any of them as they stumble from one extremely unpopular policy or decision to the next.
He is wise not to trust them, oh wait, it’s Eamonn Ryan, the man who backed them at every hands turn. Oh yeah, you’re not to be trusted either.
How can that money be spent on a shed for a few bikes? Can the Opw, who lost Castletown House to a developer be held accountable?
@Elaine D: Acountabilty is only for the competent, They would rather see Castletown house be a hub for International protection applications than be a tourist attraction for visitors.
Ah the man that told us all a few years ago that diesel cars were the way toward to helping the planet!!!!
I’d have more confidence of having a solid bowel movement after a feed of beans and a session of bad stout than I would of him contributing anything to helping the planet.
Greens elected back into power? Truly a case of turkeys voting for Christmas!
Also the arrogance of the green party in general to think that they , members of a minor party from a tiny little nation can have an effect on the climate of the whole world. Delusions of grandeur.
The Greens clapping themselves on the back for little used cycle lanes while ignoring the fumes from all the cars idling in the traffic on so called alternative routes. Taking lovely pictures to Capel street ect while not walking around the corner to take a picture. Won’t answer questions about where inner city folk put their rubbish on newly banned roads to plastic bags.
@Lilly Lalogue: I did, I went around to Church Street and showed the congestion they had caused. I was ignored.
They have this strange belief called “Traffic Evaporation”. It is false of course as has been proven in the UK bit it is a lovely sound bite.
Another big hitter is “permeability” which again is another sound bite. It means pedestrian and cycling space!
Does anyone trust Eamonn Ryan or the Greens on climate breakdown? Well No!
A snapshot of the Hypocrisy of our Political Class, Simon Harris, Eamon Ryan, Michael D, Micheal Martin & their large entourages flying Business Class to New York & later Azerbaijan. They use Carbon Credits taken from other sectors to justify themselves. They will lecture the world on reducing their Carbon Footprint whilst introducing Taxes on ordinary people while enriching Big Business back home. They have lost the people because of their Hypocrisy & inability to show real example & leadership. In today’s age, the possibility with Technology to stay at home & deliver your address to the world is possible & would show real leadership. Eamon Ryan will be ok landing his new gig with COP, a hypocrite who failed working Irish people but enabled Big Business.
Eamonn logic .. Cows Farts bad, Datacentres good.. Food from window boxes good, food from farms bad … CETA bad pre election, CETA good when in Gov.. only thing green about Eamonn is as a tool to suck from the state tit most of his life.
On yer bike, muppet
…what progress on public transport has been made? Is he delusional?
@GoodBrother: It’s much better and cheaper in Dublin. 2 Euro and you can switch between Dart, Luas and bus for nó additional cost
@Mick Duvanny: Only took them about three decades to catch up with the rest of Western Europe….
@Mick Duvanny: That was being brought anyway, but on buses the services standard has dropped.
The NTA is not fit for purpose, no real public transport people in it. All planners and ex Council management!
Climate change, look at India. Pointless
Eamon Ryan is a traitor to left-wing politics in Ireland since the Bank Bailout. I don’t care about his opinions on climate change, a scoundrel if ever there was one.
Can I ask why are these COP Conferences held every year in a different country? Wouldn’t Zoom or MS Teams be sufficient?
Calling the kettle black, as Eamon Ryan you have been the worst Transport Minister ever that the Island of Ireland has ever seen with road building projects abandoned, roads that we’re being built you dried up their funding. In Rail Infrastructure, not one passenger rail route has reopened under your leadership, as for Road Safety, it’s sadly spiralling out of control.
Cities and Towns across Ireland are the most dangerous now with cycle lanes that they don’t even use and taking away car parking spaces by pouring concrete on them and anchoring dangerous stainless steel poles on the edge of footpaths.
Its clear why the Greens attract some votes – the environment is important. Plus they don’t bang on about Wolf Tone too. However their problem is they believe in even bigger Government. Can’t we have innovative ideas that don’t involve more tax ?
Tackling Climate change requires genuine innovative ideas and actions. The greens have none of these and are just hellbent on attacking poor people.
Does it really matter who or what Eamonn Ryan trusts??. The answer is that very few ever trusted him . They only ever had about 4% , and had far too much control in Government .Hopefully they will soon be a bad memory .
Hopefully they don’t get back in
He has destroyed the Country….end of….
007 look mixed with leprechaun mind!
I don’t trust any of them, especially the green one to come up with good ideas not involving screwing people with their money.
This guy is a danger to our economy. His followers are worse.
@jiminybillybob: He truly is the Micheal Lowry of the environment protection movement, An absolute clown of a man, who has just passed the torch to the most devious and hateful politician in the history of the Irish state.
He has done more damage to the environmental cause than all the other parties combined.
He’s not all there.
Well he’s a fairytale boy, just like the jab, end of the world stuff until the next thing.
Let the world burn. It’ll be safer for the environment.
Wasn’t there a scientist who said covid was nature getting back at us. She was roundly condemned if I remember. It must be admitted though, Earth was safer when we were penned.
FFG (FF and FG) if re-elected will bring Greens back in
@Spartacus Ireland: That would spark a backlash.
He’s hardly trustworthy himself. He promised metro, and dart expansion will have commenced construction in this govts lifetime. All we got was bicycle lanes. And no support for the growth of international flights at Dublin. He’s such an inspiration.
I trust nobody in government
Nice man, is Eamon.
@Goo Eyes Delaney: good night
Mother of G&d Eamon trust a politician of any party on anything??? FFS! Cop on
Ryan has through Hackett eviscerated the Irish commercial forest industry, which locked up more carbon than any other industry. He has promoted native woodlands only, and while this is welcome, it will never produce construction timber nor sequester as much carbon as the different commercial species. An extreme ideology which excludesxany accommodation or balanced approach.
And of course we trust Eamon!
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