Donegal manager Jim McGuinness has slammed the national coverage afforded to the club scheduling situation in Donegal.
Jim McGuinness has slammed the national media attention afforded to Donegal over the scheduling of it’s club fixtures.
Donegal received severe criticism from GAA headquarters earlier this year, when they announced the postponement of the Club Championship until after Donegal exit the All-Ireland series.
Last week the Donegal management were again at the centre of a media storm, when they were on the receiving end of a scathing backlash from club managers and players in Donegal, following the postponement of a round of club fixtures that were scheduled to be played on Good Friday.
McGuinness hit out, after he was asked about the on-going animosity between the Donegal management and clubs regarding the scheduling of fixtures.
McGuinness told the Irish Star, “There are four teams here today and what is the norm for them? I don’t think that question has been asked during the week. And what’s the norm for the Club Championships?
“The answers to them are that Derry didn’t play any of their inter-county players last weekend.
“Monaghan were in exactly the same situation as ourselves, they had a double round of fixtures and called one of them off – the exact same as us.
“Dublin didn’t make any fixtures so how we end up as a national media story in that is debatable.
McGuinness feels there is a media witch-hunt against Donegal and believes it is coming from certain quarters.
McGuinness added, “Every single team in Ulster called their championship off until their county team was out.
“We were the only team that came out and said we were going to do it. That is the norm.
“We went against the norm last year by putting our club championship on, so I don’t think there’s balance in the argument.
“It’s very hard to get your head around, that it’s a national issue and story about us putting our championship off until the Donegal team is out and every other eight teams in Ulster doing the exact same thing. As did Dublin.
“I don’t understand where the whole thing is coming from, but I know it is coming from certain quarters. Let’s put it like that.