ARMAGH ARE THE latest County Board to pass a motion calling on GAA Central Council to terminate their commercial partnership with Allianz Insurance Group.
Antrim, Derry, Down, Fermanagh, Offaly, Roscommon, and Tyrone have each passed similar motions at their county conventions in recent weeks. Further counties are due to debate the issue in the coming days.
A United Nations report published in July identified Allianz’s German parent company, through its subsidiary PIMCO, among the companies and corporations which hold Israeli Government Bonds.
The GAA’s current National League sponsorship deal with Allianz’s Irish division was renewed this year and is set to continue until 2030. The partnership is one of the longest-running in Irish sport, having been in place since 1993.
Allianz are the underwriter for all the GAA’s clubs and grounds, while their sponsorship portfolio also covers the All-Ireland Senior Football Championship and Cumann na mBunscol competitions.
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The Armagh Harps motion proposed that “Armagh County Board call on the GAA Central Council through the Ethic and Integrity Commission to cease all business activities with Allianz Insurance Group”.
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MOTIONS TO CONVENTION
✅ CARRIED ✅
4. Armagh Harps motion requesting that the Armagh County Board call on GAA Central Council through the Ethic and Integrity Commission to cease all business activities with Allianz Insurance Group given their links with violations and… pic.twitter.com/1pFzSfduuO
In August, a petition signed by close to 800 current and former GAA players called on the Association to drop Allianz as a sponsor, which led to the GAA referring the issue to their newly constituted Ethics and Integrity committee.
That committee has yet to issue its findings, with the National League start approaching next month.
Dublin All-Ireland winner David Byrne has been among those to criticise the GAA’s Allianz sponsorship.
“When it’s a human rights issue, and we in sport are in some way connected to the funding of a genocide, I think it’s important that we do speak up against it,” he said in October.
“We have a little bit of a platform. We are not huge celebrities, like big international soccer players or anything like that, but we do have a bit of a platform and a voice within our own community.
“And I think the GAA itself has such a brilliant ethos and such a brilliant reputation. And if we see something that we don’t agree with, that’s socially a bit wrong or morally a bit wrong, it’s important that players organise themselves to speak out against it.”
Allianz, in a statement to The 42 today, said:
“The GAA’s Ethics and Integrity Commission’s review is ongoing, and we fully respect the Association’s governance structures and independent process. It would be inappropriate to comment while the Committee carries out its work.
“We are engaging constructively as appropriate and won’t be commenting further while the review is under way.
“Contrary to online commentary and media reporting in Ireland, Allianz plc can confirm that it has no commercial relationship of any kind with Elbit Systems.”
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- This article has been updated to include a statement today by Allianz and a correct description of the bonds as ‘Government bonds’.
Armagh add to calls for GAA to terminate Allianz sponsorship
ARMAGH ARE THE latest County Board to pass a motion calling on GAA Central Council to terminate their commercial partnership with Allianz Insurance Group.
Antrim, Derry, Down, Fermanagh, Offaly, Roscommon, and Tyrone have each passed similar motions at their county conventions in recent weeks. Further counties are due to debate the issue in the coming days.
A United Nations report published in July identified Allianz’s German parent company, through its subsidiary PIMCO, among the companies and corporations which hold Israeli Government Bonds.
The GAA’s current National League sponsorship deal with Allianz’s Irish division was renewed this year and is set to continue until 2030. The partnership is one of the longest-running in Irish sport, having been in place since 1993.
Allianz are the underwriter for all the GAA’s clubs and grounds, while their sponsorship portfolio also covers the All-Ireland Senior Football Championship and Cumann na mBunscol competitions.
The Armagh Harps motion proposed that “Armagh County Board call on the GAA Central Council through the Ethic and Integrity Commission to cease all business activities with Allianz Insurance Group”.
In August, a petition signed by close to 800 current and former GAA players called on the Association to drop Allianz as a sponsor, which led to the GAA referring the issue to their newly constituted Ethics and Integrity committee.
That committee has yet to issue its findings, with the National League start approaching next month.
Dublin All-Ireland winner David Byrne has been among those to criticise the GAA’s Allianz sponsorship.
“When it’s a human rights issue, and we in sport are in some way connected to the funding of a genocide, I think it’s important that we do speak up against it,” he said in October.
“We have a little bit of a platform. We are not huge celebrities, like big international soccer players or anything like that, but we do have a bit of a platform and a voice within our own community.
“And I think the GAA itself has such a brilliant ethos and such a brilliant reputation. And if we see something that we don’t agree with, that’s socially a bit wrong or morally a bit wrong, it’s important that players organise themselves to speak out against it.”
Allianz, in a statement to The 42 today, said:
“The GAA’s Ethics and Integrity Commission’s review is ongoing, and we fully respect the Association’s governance structures and independent process. It would be inappropriate to comment while the Committee carries out its work.
“We are engaging constructively as appropriate and won’t be commenting further while the review is under way.
“Contrary to online commentary and media reporting in Ireland, Allianz plc can confirm that it has no commercial relationship of any kind with Elbit Systems.”
*****
- This article has been updated to include a statement today by Allianz and a correct description of the bonds as ‘Government bonds’.
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