Mayo GAA's treasurer Kevin O'Toole admits he would give the money back to Tim O'Leary and the Mayo GAA International Supporters Foundation, as the stand-off continues between the Foundation and Mayo County Board.
Mr O’Toole made the comments at last week's "in camera" meeting, and Off The Ball has learned that when asked by the floor "where do we now stand", he responded that if it were up to him, he would return the funding they'd received from the supporters' group.
The International Supporters Foundation has been withholding €250,000, which was raised at a gala function in New York last year, due to concerns over governance issues.
Last weekend the GAA's Ard Stiúrthóir, Tom Ryan, intervened in a bid to end the impasse and Mayo's County Board Executive were summoned to a meeting with Connacht Council and Central Council officials to "scope" the extent of the problem.
Clubs asked the County Board to enter mediation at the lengthy private meeting at MacHale Park last Thursday and they claim that a vote of confidence in the executive was challenged from the floor and in correspondence.
A Crossmolina Deelrovers letter revealed that they were against excluding the media from meetings and that they disagreed with a press release published by Mayo GAA which indicated that there was a vote of support in the executive.
They argued that time should have been afforded for delegates to speak to their clubs and they urged mediation in a bid to resolve the dispute with the Mayo International Supporters Foundation.
Castlebar Mitchels asked the board to reconcile the claim that the vote of confidence "was resoundingly passed by all delegates".
Ballaghaderreen found the omission of the media from meetings "unacceptable" and said the media can't be blamed for highlighting issues of governance.
The decision to play the 'donkey' song at the recent game between Mayo and The Underdogs in Castlebar was labelled "irresponsible" and the club also suggested that the County Board should seek help from full-time GAA administrators in a bid to solve their current issues.
While New York publican Eugene Rooney, who claims he's owed $20,000 for Mayo team trips to the city in 2013 and 2014, called on the County Board's executive to step down in the following e-mail:
"Laural & Hardy show [sic]. I'm going to the meeting on Thursday night.
Fool, can you tell me are tape recorders allowed. Started a new comedy group, Dermo, Pauli, Kevi, Micko. You clowns. Paddo the Mgr.
RESIGN YOU FOOLS. IT'S a shambles.
Regards, Eugene Rooney"
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