Rules are meant to be broken.
Reports have claimed that the GAA has officially confirmed that the Liam Miller charity game will go ahead at Páirc Uí Chaoimh, following days of tense talks and controversy, according to the Cork Evening Echo.
A meeting with the organising committee of the Liam Miller Tribute Match had been sought by the GAA on Saturday afternoon in a bid to come up with a solution to suit both parties, which seemed to have ended in one which saw the GAA finally give the game the go-ahead in Páirc Uí Chaoimh.
Now per the Evening Echo’s Sports Editor John McHale, the game will indeed take place at the Páirc Uí Chaoimh GAA ground.
The Liam Miller fundraiser will now take place in Pairc Ui Chaoimh. Well done to all for making it happen.
— John McHale (@echosportsed) July 21, 2018
They released a statement earlier on in the week, mentioning that the game simply couldn’t go ahead in the Cork stadium thanks to Rule 42 – which prohibits the playing of non-GAA games in GAA stadiums – but seemed to have softened their stance on the issue following days of high pressure placed on the organisation from GAA fans, the media and a plethora of sports stars.
The decision marks a tough couple of weeks for the GAA in terms of their PR – the ‘Newbridge or Nowhere‘ campaign and Donegal’s issues with Dublin using Croke Park have been well documented – but their adherence to Rule 42 has irked plenty of people.
Miller, who has played for Ireland as well as Man United and Celtic, passed away earlier this year from cancer, at the age of 36. He was survived by his wife Clare and three small children.
The fundraising match in his name is scheduled for 25 September to benefit Miller’s family with sports legends Ryan Giggs, Paul Scholes, and Damien Duff set to take part in the event.
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