Jim McGuinness content to draw a line under Ulster sanctions saga and move on

Jim McGuinness is happy that all was well that ended well in regards to the lifting of his eight-game sanction issued in the wake of their McKenna Cup opener against Armagh. 

The Donegal boss was hit with a proposed eight-week suspension when it came to light that teenager Finbarr Roarty was, in fact, ineligible to play senior football in 2024. 

Roarty - 17 at the time of the clash with the Orchard County - was deemed to be underage for the game following a meeting of Ulster GAA officials.

Roarty turned 18 the day after the match but the rules state that all senior inter-county players must be that age by the start of the calendar year and provide for an eight-week suspension for the 'person(s) in charge of the team' if they are not.

But last Thursday night, the Ulster Hearings Committee decided McGuinness had no case to answer as “the alleged infraction was not proven, and that no further disciplinary action is to be taken.”

“We had a good case,” said McGuinness after Donegal’s 4-14 to 0-11 McKenna Cup semi-final win over Monaghan on Sunday. 

“There was an administrative error and the rulebook was not clear either. Who is the ‘person in charge of the team?’ and where does the role of the coach end and the administrator begin?

“That rule, when it was brought initially, was to deal with juvenile football, where people were managing young fellows and then chairpersons and secretaries were getting major sanctions. 

“But this is senior football and we have senior executives who deal with the going-ons off the pitch. There’s probably something there in terms of the rulebook. 

“We take it on the chin as we should’ve known but it was a genuine administrative error. I came out after that game and spoke to the media about how well he done and if there was any malice involved that would be the last thing we would be doing. 

“Last time around we had Patrick McBrearty as a 17-year-old and lads like Martin O’Reilly, Ryan McHugh and Odhran MacNiallais also involved. 

“We always took the best minors and we actually had a game against Roscommon before Christmas and left Finbarr out of the squad as we believed then that he was eligible in January”.