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LAST UPDATE | 12 Jun 2020
TAOISEACH LEO VARADKAR has said that sports and media organisations should “have nothing to do with” a boxing match involving Daniel Kinahan.
Varadkar said yesterday that there has been contact between Ireland and the United Arab Emirates about Dubai-based Kinahan but today refused to give further details on the nature of that contact.
The controversy comes following Kinahan’s involvement in arranging a high-profile boxing match series between heavyweight champions Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua.
Kinahan reportedly played a key role in brokering the bout, with Fury personally name-checking the Dubliner in a video announcing that a deal had been reached earlier this week.
The namedrop is another sign of Kinahan’s attempt to become a major figure in the business of professional boxing. Kinahan has no criminal convictions but he was named in a High Court affidavit as being the controller of an international drug cartel.
Speaking today, Varadkar said that authorities in the UAE “know our concerns and our problems with it”.
He added:
I think it’s not a decision for me but I think it would be entirely appropriate for sports organisations and media organisations to have nothing to do with this. Maybe they don’t know the facts or they don’t know the truth but they need to know them. And I wouldn’t like to see them giving it any attention at all given the circumstances.
Minister of State for Sport Brendan Griffin told the Dáil yesterday evening that Kinahan’s role in the event was “completely unacceptable” and he has asked officials to draft letters to his UK counterpart and to Sky and BT Sport expressing the government’s “outrage about this matter”.
“The danger is that the reputation of Irish boxing may be tarnished by this incident. That is grossly unfair to the large number of people who do great work. It is important to emphasise that,” Griffin said.
We are taking this very seriously. We are absolutely appalled by this link.
A BT Sport spokesperson said today that the broadcaster “is not currently involved in the Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua negotiations”.
They added:
Our broadcast agreement for the fights of Tyson Fury is exclusively with Frank Warren’s Queensberry Promotions. We have had no dealings with MTK or any of their representatives for this fight. BT reviews all sports rights and broadcast deals with the appropriate levels of responsibility and scrutiny before deciding on a course of action. We cannot comment further on a potential fight which to the best of our knowledge is not confirmed, and which has not been offered to us.
Kinahan was the founder of boxing management company MGM Boxing which subsequently rebranded as MTK Global and said it had cut ties with Kinahan.
Further criticism
Sports minister Shane Ross repeated the condemnation of Kinahan’s apparent involvement in the money-spinning fight, saying it would be “absolutely wrong and tragic” for boxing clubs and volunteers in Ireland “if their name was sullied by activities which are completely and utterly unacceptable”.
Fianna Fáil’s justice spokesperson, Jim O’Callaghan, implored Fury, Joshua, Sky Sports and the other players involved in arranging the fight to “inform themselves about the Kinahan criminal organisation”.
“They cannot just hide from those facts because there is a great deal of money to be made,” he said.
The lives of people in inner-city Dublin, which have been decimated by the Kinahan criminal organisation, deserve to be recognised by the other people involved in the fight. The victims of killings by the criminal organisation also need to be aware of it.
https://soundcloud.com/the-explainer-podcast/why-is-daniel-kinahan-back-in-the-news-again
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It won’t make a smidgeon off difference given the money involved. But boxing has always had a criminal element.
@J: boxing is the politics of pro sports, rotten at its core, obsessed with greed, man in the shadows pulling strings and theatrics
@J: Was always considered the easiest sport to fix historically.
@Eugene Comaskey: “hopefully the Saudis will pick up on this scamp and deal with him”
When did the Saudis ever give you the impression that they cared about criminality?
@ihcalaM: Well I agree surely, but maybe, just maybe, the might catch him for something , they would not show much mercy if the got ya . , but sure he will stay clear of things out there.
@Eugene Comaskey: what grotesque and idiotic what aboutery.
@J: Remember John Delaney
@Eugene Comaskey: Saudi women just got the right to drive last year…
@J: Should make it a perfect fit with most politicians.
Imaging being the families of those who died at the hands of this horrendous gang war who were innocent and just died because of mistaken identity (there’s been at least one from what I can remember) and seeing this criminal gaining success in a sport where when it comes to management the bar of ethics is so low even Hermes from Futurama would struggle to limbo under it. They must be sick to their stomachs
@Jake Kelly: There’s been 2. Add to that the countless families whose lives have been destroyed by Kinahan’s drugs.
@Johnny 5: it’s disgusting slap in the face to ordinary, decent people who abide by the rule of law and try to be good human beings
@Jake Kelly: love a good futurama reference.
@Jake Kelly: Careful, you may want a bit of innocent until proven guilty’ for yourself or a loved one on day.
@Mary Morrisey: yeah and there’s a good chance that he is totally innocent? Cop on
Not gonna make much difference within the hierarchy of boxing itself, but I can see sky sports and bt sports not being best pleased being linked with this. Government needs to make as much noise as possible and make it become something that’s casting a shadow over the run up to this fight.
Given the litany of TV shows/presenters/actors being pulled off screens lately for any number of reasons, you would think that the involvement of a known criminal would be sufficient to get this event scrapped. Or are virtue signaling networks only willing to cancel things that produce revenue below a certain threshold?
@Derek Murphy: unfortunately you are 100% right easy to cut loose a person or program who is not making you millions.
@Derek Murphy: They won’t be making the entire budget of a small country for a few years off one show.
I always get the PPV fights in. Big fight fan. Not this time. Tyson Fury and Eddie Hearn can get stuffed.
@Vin: But you were happy to get all his previous fights which MTK would have been involved in making. So what’s different this time? Absolutely nothing. You’re just a hypocrite
@Phil Redmond: I’m a relatively big boxing fan and didn’t have any idea that Kinahan was involved in MTK, not everyone keeps up with the orgs and politics. Maybe that lad is in the same boat.
@Correct Opinion: You’ll have heard of The Regency hotel shooting in February 2016 surely. That happened at an event organised by Kinahan’s boxing promotion company, MGM, to publicise a boxing match at the National Stadium in Dublin that weekend.
@Correct Opinion: It’s been well known for a long time. They had a change of ownership about 2 years ago to remove him as being a face of it.
Fairly sure the talk of it is why MTK refuse to speak to Irish media
The murky underworld of professional boxing…….
@Dara Mac Fhionnain: What about all the corrupt businessmen in Ireland? Is the government speaking out about them? No cause there making payments to FFG
@Whoswho: hows that whatabouttery going for you?
@Whoswho: you left out all the payments to the shinners
@Whoswho: Wow! I’m very surprised your comment hasn’t been deleted considering you mentioned the truth about the FFG cartel!
Kinahans involvement, disgraceful as it is, isn’t as significant as the sudden involvement of very bad Arab dictatorships in boxing.
The likes of Saudi and the Emiratis paying hundreds of millions to promote and host the sport in their country in order to polish their shocking reputation as human rights pariahs is far more internationally and ethically significant than the activities of DK.
@ihcalaM: FG TD Neale Richmond had this to say yesterday;
“There’s a strong and growing relationship between Ireland and the UAE. There’s quite a number of people living in either Abu Dhabi or Dubai, and it’s something I know the Emiratis want to encourage.”
http://www.redfm.ie/news/cork/fine-gael-td-hits-out-at-kinahan-involvement-in-boxing/
He accused DK of ‘whitewashing’ his reputation, while presumably being completely unaware that the UAE’s involvement is using the exact same whitewashing tactics except on a much larger scale.
Stop the hypocrisy. There are lots of gangsters involved in this sport, let’s not lose sight of the ones with the biggest bucks running the show.
@ihcalaM: 100%
@ihcalaM: just because other bad people are involved in boxing doesnt dilute the need for the Irish government to question why an Irish citizen who has been named as an international drug cartel leader is attempting to legitimize himself on the world stage.
@Bill Clay: I didn’t say it should, but we have to keep a sense of scale here. I understand the Irish outrage because there’s an Irish figure involved in this case, but if you look at who is bankrolling this sport in the Middle East you’ll see it’s the tip of the iceberg.
It’d just be nice if the Irish government (see FG TD above) weren’t pretending everything was nice and rosy with the Gulf states and our ‘relationship’ with them while they’re busy being outraged (their words) about DK.
@ihcalaM: disagree…. it’s significant enough for all the addicts lives and communities destroyed by him and his band of merry drug dealers! Let’s just let the Saudi’s look after their lot and we’ll worry about our own homegrown death dealers!
Daniel ‘The sometimes controversial Dublin businessman’ Kinahan
@Fergus O’Connor: Amassed thousands of millions over the years without a word, now he has some famous friends and it’s a problem.
@Cormac Laffan: thousands of millions?
@thomas patrick: think he meant to say hundreds and thousands, Daniel Kinahan is famed for stealing truck loads of the confectionary product. Apparently he likes to swim in them
@Forest Hump: “Sprinkles Kinahan” they call him.
@Forest Hump: Nope, one thousand million in a billion, the family is currently worth about 3.5 billion according to the UAE.
I know, you’d think they would’ve been noticed on this tiny island.
Wonder will they cancel. No they won’t too much money involved.
I wonder where Gerry ‘The Monk’ Hutch is today and what his plans are?. I’ll bet Mr Kinahan wonders the very same thing. (probably why he lives in a compound in the desert)
Danny boy will come to a bad end one way or another.
@Will: whats James mago gatelys plan he has resurfaced im sure his not going to forget the attempts on his life by the kinahans
No the Government will not express outrage to any other Country. Remember Charlie Flanagan saying he met the Russian ambassador? LYING !
Other countries would chew us up and spit us out. We always do what we are told and then blame someone else for our mess
If the State knows this as a fact perhaps they would be better served securing a conviction against him. They have effectively thrown the entire presumption of innocence out the window based on hearsay.
@Simon Power: what are ya talking about? why do you assume all evidence against him is hearsay. If he wasnt in a country withhout extradition. Dont tell me you support this absolute scrote.
@Simon Power: he’s in dubai because Ireland doesn’t have an extradition treaty with dubai. He’s bought his safety over there. Anyone with any level of criminality with enough funds can do the same. If he’s innocent and can stand up and face a judge then let him go ahead and do so.
@Simon Power: Hearsay? Try…evidence submitted and accepted in the high court. Whatever your argument is here, DKs history is not hearsay.
@Simon Power: there’s one born every minute. You just cannot legislate for stupid. Really.? Innocent.
@Simon Power: wind up?
@Simon Power: Simon …..you should probably change your handle to “ Austin Powers” international man of mystery ….. DK might then offer you a job in his legitmate international pro boxing franchise
I don’t know how much the Irish PPV is worth to Sky, but the government should just block any attempt by Sky to show these fights in the Republic.
@Mairtin Antaine O Conaill: Well this would be a case where if you illegally stream these boxing matches you’ll actually be fighting crime, win, win.
@Inanimate Carbon Rod: Never thought of it that way, good call Inanimate.
So he was NAMED as head of one of the biggest drug gangs in Ireland, a role that was PASSED down to him, and who’s to say he hasn’t passed that role on as he doesn’t want it, plus he has NO CONVICTIONS after how many years apparently in charge of this gang, so he has to be guilty then!. Maybe his move to Dubai was to get away from the family and their drug business. God knows if my family were to get into the drugs trade I’d try and get as far away from them myself. I will say I don’t know him personally, I’ve read a few articles in the papers that are mainly hear say at the best of times. If he was such a harden criminal why hasn’t he been locked up by now. Just a thought is all
@James Hayes: Imagine being a Kinihan apologist and somehow trying to legitimise/justify this whole thing. Embarrassed for you really.
@James Hayes: Yep and pigs can fly
@James Hayes: why doesn’t he return to Ireland so, use it as a base of operations and leave himself open to full scrutiny and possible prosecution. The vast majority of his boxers are based in UK and Ireland. It’s almost as though he wants to avoid all that isn’t it.
@James Hayes: Is that you, Daniel?
@James Hayes: that’s exactly what he wants people to think . It’s obviously working . No getting away from it though , he will always be responsible for ruining countless lives and mass murder which he has yet to answer for . Until he does , there’s no second chances .
@JustBEERbarry: all I’m saying is why hasn’t he been arrested and charged before now if he IS GUILTY of all the crimes. Most of the key players in one of the most notorious drug gangs in Limerick are behind bars with their head guy at the moment because of a little fact called proof of guilt. Yet Mr Kinahan is free to roam the planet as all there is, is hear say. So until proven guilty he is free to do as pleased. Trust me once they get hard evidence and formally charge him then yes criticise away. But until till then everyone is innocent until proven otherwise. If he is guilty its not his fault he hasn’t been proven to be. Just another thought is all.
@James Hayes: just wondering.. are you playing devils advocate ? Or are you serious? Or are you a troll looking for attention?
@James Hayes: ok I’ll bite .. so you think a high court judge and CAB determined he was the head of the kinahan cartel based on here say ? Nailing cartel heads is extremely difficult as the smart ones know well how to keep their noses clean and have others take all the risks on their behalf . Surely you are not this naive ?
@Jon Shannow: ;-))
@James Hayes: Whatever happened to innocent until proven guilty? If he is guilty it should be proven in a court of law. Then they can call him all they want.
@Derek Murphy: It could be his good Daddy Christy, the man who thought him all he knows about being a “businessman”.
@James Hayes: he’s not free to roam the world. He’s barred from entering the United States, he’s wanted by the DEA (some say he’s even helping them out) and was arrested for money laundering and drug trafficking in Spain. Why did he flee Ireland and then after that, Spain? And now lives in a compound in Dubai which he reportedly hasn’t left in nearly a year? Do you know the level of criminal living in Dubai? And how if you have money all sins are essentially overlooked to keep you nice and safe there? Why has he been named in our own courts in relation to gangland and international crime? Why was he the intended target of the Regency if he’s legitimate?
You are really letting yourself down here, the dogs in the street know who he is and what he does and why.
@JustBEERbarry: you partly answered my original question, in any fight against crime you need someone with intelligence on the gangs involved. Maybe there is some biase to the reason he is not locked up. You’ve being missing my point all along. He has always been involved in some way or other in crime. You just have to ask the one question as to why is he not arrested if the evidence is there. Surely cab must of found something on him given his status, the amount of time he is linked to this gang as well as apparently been on the us government’s radar. So my main question is where is the proof of anything said here and in other comments.
@James Hayes: You are being incredibly naive.
@James Hayes: what powers do any nation have in dubai let alone little Ireland? What makes you think CAB can go to dubai and search his home? Why is he in dubai with his closest associates? And associates from the top drug producing nations? Why would you bust him over a teeny tiny charge when you can sink him for the rest of his life? You can be guaranteed the United States will get a hold of him, just like El Chapo. DK is in the same league and El Chapo, as hard and all that is to believe, its true and its the opinion of top security and drug agencies throughout the world.
@James Hayes: “If he was such a harden criminal why hasn’t he been locked up by now.”
He would be if he didn’t run away.
@James Hayes: “Mr Kinahan”
Are you his lawyer? Bit off for some random person to call him Mr.
@Marcus Suridius: odd*
@James Hayes: would you ever cop on, do you ever listen to yourself!
@James Hayes: why don’t you try taking your head out of your ahole? Just another thought is all.
@Niall Binéad: the fishing has been good today….:-))))
@James Hayes: He’s not free to roam the planet. He stays in a country with no extradition treaty with Ireland.
@James Hayes: and just a thought it shall remain. A unique one mind you. I’ll give you that.
@James Hayes: are there really people out there that think this or is this a troll? Next thing you’ll say is Fury is an upstanding non bigot, non homophobe, non sexist individual.
@James Hayes: mr??? You work for him right? Yes boss!!
@John fitzpatrick: I’m curious as to what your view would be of someone like myself and others in this comments section, who *do* personally believe the allegations against him based on all of the reporting over the years, but who also believe that to compromise on the presumption of innocence is to dismantle what makes a democratic society free? To suggest that someone should be punished for alleged crimes without being convicted of them in a court of law is to open the door to corruption, vendetta, and witch hunting. We abide by a very strict paradigm of innocent until proven guilty for extremely good and historically well documented reasons, and no amount of allegation or accusation can change the fact that without a criminal conviction, we have absolutely no right as a society to punish somebody or deny them the right to live their life as they see fit.
Its a bit rich coming from a “government” who prostitutes itself for the support of a convicted criminal Michael Lowry. Only in Ireland.
Varadkar is talking some shoite these days
The article states that Kinahan has “no criminal convictions” so why is it wrong that he as a boxing promoter helps to set up a legitimate boxing match
? If the same criteria were applied to everyone what would happen?
@Micheal S. O’ Ceilleachair: becuase he’s not legitimate and his funds, wealth and business is not legitimate. He just hasn’t been convicted of a crime yet. Do you think authorities are trying to pint a half ounce of soap bar hash on him or nail him for tonnes and tonnes of drugs on every continent in the world? Why was the DEA present at his wedding in Dubai? They werent at mine. Were they at yours? Do you know the level of criminal you need to be to have the DEA as lurkers at your wedding? Keep up.
@JustBEERbarry: my point is a person is innocent until proven guilty which is the legal standard accorded to every citizen. Until he is proved guilty in a court of law he can have a business as long as the business is legal. If his promotion of this boxing match is legal and above board then he should be able to proceed. If you are prevented from operating a business because someone is “assuming” you are guilty of a crime then an injustice is being done to you. Would you not agree?
If it’s outrage over suspected criminals the government is doing, I’m eagerly awaiting their statement on the continual appearances on Irish media outlets of Alastair Campbell, Tony Blair’s accomplice in his war crimes in Iraq.
@Garry Coll: Plenty of criminals in Leinster house that none of them are interested in naming. They only have to look around them when they do turn up for work and look at several criminals.
Write a strongly worded letter.
Nobody in boxing cares
People only want to see the fight
End off
More whinging and whingeing isn’t gonna change that
Leo and DK both lead gangster organisations who inflicted misery and extort society. Same sh%t- different shovel
Organisations/groups associated with Kinahan need to be tackled! US boxing promoter Bob Arum stating Kinahan’s involvement with crime is “not of a major concern” for him. He went on to say that he is an intelligent, dead honest, forthright and a no nonsense guy. Says it all for me, Arum and those connected in anyway with this drug dealer don’t give two f##ks about his involvement in drugs because it doesn’t suit them, to much (money) to lose! A lot of organisations need to look long and hard at ignoring this drug dealers involvement in the sport of boxing! The government of the day needs to protect the citizen’s of this country! Drugs are destroying our country due to incompetence at government level and an antiquated judicial system not fit for purpose, as proven time and time again!
@Niall Binéad: glass houses ….
@my name: says the anonymous coward! Try stay on topic at least!
@Niall Binéad: I am very much on topic
@my name: Lol……. don’t think it’s topic you’re on…. poor little fella!
The level of feigned outrage is hilarious. Daniel Kinehan’s connection with MTK is very well known and has been for a very long time. They have represented Tyson Fury years and also represent many other well known fighters including Jono Carroll, Michael Conlon, Carl Frampton and Billy Joe Saunders but nobody is pretending to be outraged every time one of them are fighting. Claiming you won’t watch this fight when you have watched plenty of others is either ignorance or hypocrisy
What I, or Leo, or even a judge personally believes about Daniel Kinahan is irrelevant. The presumption of innocence is one of the cornerstones upon which a free and democratic society is built, and central to that concept is the paradigm that unless convicted of a crime, one is free to go about one’s life as one sees fit. In the absence of a criminal conviction, he has as much right as anyone else to make business deals in his chosen profession.
We can talk about the evidence against him until the cows come home, but at the end of the day it’s irrelevant. Guilt by accusation and guilt without due process are concepts which have crept into modern society in the social media era, and they are a greater threat to our freedom than any gangster, terrorist or despot. No conviction, no consequences. If his involvement in this deal angers you, then lobby our politicians and our justice system to do their jobs and secure a conviction. To lobby others to take the law into their own hands and deny an unconvicted individual the right to life their life and conduct whatever legal business they choose to conduct, is to participate in the horrendous dismantling of democracy’s core tenets which has been ongoing for at least the last ten years.
@Patrick FitzGerald: give it a rest man . The dogs on the street know he’s not innocent . The gardai didn’t have the case strong enough to put him away for good before he legged it . He is on the run and will not return to Ireland to answer for the alleged offences . Banging on about presumption of innocence when it comes to cartel leaders on the run is a f##ken joke . We all know how clever they are at leaving all the risk to the lackeys and covering their tracks .
More likely organisations ignore Leo
I don’t see a problem here. Mr kinahan has not been convicted of any crime.
@Uncle Bobby: Mr? Jesus christ. Morto for you.
@Uncle Bobby: Many are confusing media with our justice system.
@Sid: Morto? How very sad for you.
Well said Leo. Why are our other political leaders so quiet on the subject? Why are they not all speaking out against this guy’s involvement in the sport?
Some hope of that happening Leo when there’s big money involved
There are many countries in the world where criminal gangs are not allowed to prosper. Ireland isn’t one of them. Why?
Boxing is on the verge of extinction since the UFC charged in , not surprised they’re taking blood money to stay relevant. Money has always been the driving force in this sport much like horse racing. Everyone’s just looking to get their bet on
Politics in Ireland rotten to the core
Full of chancers, criminals and scammers, he has some cheek
Don King shot a man in the back, didn’t do him any harm
@Joe Murphy: Didn’t do Don King any harm, did harm the other lad though
@Joe Murphy: and his sister Jo had a great laugh about it
Drug lord
and should be not watched but lots of us will
Bye bye GAA/Sky Sports deal if this fight goes ahead. Can’t see the GAA wanting to be associated with a corporation that endorses criminality.
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