The millionaire benefactor Tim O'Leary has demanded that Mayo GAA reimburse a €150,000 donation and has threatened legal action if the money is not returned within 21 days.
Communicated via a solicitors' letter sent to the Mayo County Board on Tuesday night, O'Leary, who made a personal donation of €150,000 in two instalments across 2018 under the strict instruction that it would be spent solely for the benefit of the county's senior football team, now appears intent on bringing the saga to its conclusion.
In a detailed retrospective of the English benefactor's relationship with the Mayo County Board, upon being advised that his donation had not been spent as he stipulated, O'Leary made repeated requests for clarity regarding how the money was disbursed.
After initially rebuffing O'Leary's requests for clarity, the solicitors' letter claims that the Mayo County Board eventually assembled a sizable variety of miscellaneous receipts and invoices by way of placating O'Leary.
Unconvinced that these files represented the spending of his donation, it has now reached a point where Tim O'Leary, should the money not be reimbursed to him within 21 days, is prepared to initiate legal proceedings.
Furthermore, he is reserving his right to make a complaint to An Garda Siochana if he or his advisors deem such action appropriate.
You can catch up with all of Off the Ball's coverage of the Mayo GAA saga below.
Most recently, the Mayo GAA International Supporters Foundation pledged a prospective €1,000,000 to the county if certain conditions were met by Monday evening. No response was forthcoming.
In an attempt to bring the saga to a close last week, the GAA intended to meet with Tim O'Leary this week. However, this meeting has not yet taken place due to disagreements regarding the venue.
Of the behind-closed-doors County Board meeting carried out in MacHale Park in early November, read Eoin Sheahan's dispatch from Castlebar here. You can read details of what went on in that meeting here.
Denied a chance to run for the position of Mayo GAA's Public Relations Officer, Michael Gallagher explained to Off the Ball why he believed this was an unjust decision that he was willing to fight.
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