FERMANAGH club Erne Gaels have hit out at a decision by the Fermanagh county board competitions control committee (CCC) decision to reverse a previous ruling that the league final, which ended in a win for Derrygonnelly Harps over Erne Gaels, should be replayed.

The game, played in late August, ended in controversy with the official score Derrygonnelly 0-17 to Erne Gaels’ 0-15.

However, there was clear video evidence that late efforts from Jarlath Flanagan and Stephen McGullion were inside the two-point arc, but awarded as two-point scores.

This led to an official appeal by Erne Gaels, managed by the new county manager, Declan Bonner. Once Derrygonnelly did not lodge a counter-objection, the county board ruled they would facilitate a replay, a decision that has since been reversed.

The CCC cited a directive from Croke Park in relation to Rule 7.5 that states objections, “are narrowly defined to only account for accounting errors by match officials rather than the wrong type of score being awarded.”

An email from the CCC explained, ‘With the passage of time and the progress of Erne Gaels in the Ulster Club Championship, we find it increasingly unlikely that a suitable date to replay the SFL Division 1 Final could be found.

‘The Derrygonnelly Harps team have stopped training over a month at this stage. Some of their players, and some from Erne Gaels, will now be involved with various Fermanagh teams until June/July of 2026.

‘In addition, a direction from Croke Park in relation to Rule 7.5 (n) stating that objections in this manner are narrowly defined to only account for accounting errors by match officials rather than the wrong type of score being awarded.’

It added, ‘Despite the inherent unfairness surrounding the outcome as a result of the incorrect awarding of two scores, the Competitions Control Committee met and felt we have no alternative other than to follow the rules and have made the decision to award the 2025 Senior Football League Division 1 Final to Derrygonnelly Harps.’

A statement from Erne Gaels responded to this turn of events, and they stated, ‘Erne Gaels GAC object in the strongest terms to the awarding of the Fermanagh Senior Division 1 League Final to Derrygonnelly Harps.

‘The recent communications from the CCC raise serious concerns regarding fairness, consistency, and governance. In particular we wish to highlight the following points:

‘The CCC’s original official communication explicitly stated that the objection had been upheld under Rule 7.5(n)(ii) on the basis that two scores were “incorrectly recorded” and that this affected the result. This is a clear acknowledgement that factual recording errors occurred.

‘Reversing this position now, without any new evidence or change in rule, directly contradicts the CCC’s own formal ruling.

‘A replay had already been formally awarded, and we were offered the option of doubling it up with the County Championship Final.

‘How can a formally awarded replay be rescinded weeks later, especially when it could already have been played?

‘Rule 7.5(n) does not explicitly forbid the correction of obvious factual errors, particularly where those errors are acknowledged by both clubs and the referee, and where the recording of the score was indisputably incorrect.

‘The examples cited by the CCC are not comparable to our case. Queries such as whether a ball was touched before going over the bar are ambiguous and subjective.

‘In contrast, awarding one-point scores as two-point scores is clear-cut, factual, and not open to interpretation, and occurred twice. Consistency across counties is irrelevant unless the circumstances are identical. The CCC’s examples relate to subjective decisions, not objective recording errors acknowledged by all parties. Our case is unique in both the clarity and number of errors.

‘The inclusion of ‘training status’ as a factor raises serious questions about fairness. A club’s internal decision to stop training has no bearing whatsoever on the CCC’s duty to apply the rules impartially.

‘Both clubs were aware that a replay had been awarded, and it is up to each club to prepare accordingly.’

It went on, ‘Similarly, the involvement of players with county squads cannot form part of a rule-based decision.

‘The club season continues regardless of county commitments (as evidenced by ongoing provincial club championships), and our county players remain fully willing to fulfil this fixture.

‘The CCC cannot determine or imply what our players are willing or unwilling to do.

‘For the above reasons, we request that the CCC reconsider its position, provide clarification for the procedural inconsistencies, and reinstate the original ruling awarding a replay.’

The matter now will be brought in front of the Ulster Council’s Hearing Committee.