Updated 14.47pm
IT CARLOW BOSS DJ Carey has confirmed that they will submit their appeal against expulsion from the Fitzgibbon Cup today.
It was announced on Monday afternoon that IT Carlow had been thrown out of the third-level hurling competition after Limerick-based Mary Immaculate College lodged an objection to the eligibility of IT Carlow defender James Gannon.
Carey confirmed to The42 this morning that IT Carlow are submitting the appeal today out of respect to other competing teams.
Tomorrow’s Fitzgibbon Cup quarter-final fixtures could now be postponed as a result. The games had been pencilled in to see Limerick IT take on Waterford IT while Mary Immaculate College are scheduled to face Dublin IT.
“The reason we have put the appeal in before time is to be fair to the other teams involved,” revealed Carey. “The deadline for the appeal isn’t until half 2 tomorrow but we wanted to be fair to the other teams with the travelling that is involved.
“I don’t want to say any more than that as I don’t want to prejudice the outcome in any way.”
An official statement released this afternoon from IT Carlow GAA club reads:
IT Carlow hurling club is in the process of lodging an appeal regarding the decision to award the points of the Fitzgibbon Cup Group C, Round 3 fixture to Mary Immaculate College Limerick. The appeal is being lodged today, one day ahead of the deadline, in order to minimise disruption to the competition.The Fitzgibbon Cup is a very prestigious competition and one that all third-level hurlers aspire to play in. In the interest of all remaining teams in the Fitzgibbon Cup, IT Carlow hurling club hopes the matter will be resolved as quickly as possible.”
IT Carlow’s expulsion came after a a three-hour hearing in Portlaoise on Sunday night while further conference calls took place on Monday afternoon.
It is understood that Gannon is studying a graduate course through Glanbia and while IT Carlow insisted that the necessary paperwork was processed in order for him to play, Higher Education GAA chiefs ejected them from the tournament.
The first two quarter-finals in this year’s Fitzgibbon Cup are set to take place today with Cork IT taking on NUI Galway in Cork IT at 2pm while UL face UCD at the UL Sportsground at 3pm.
