KEITH RICKEN HAS stepped away from his post as Cork manager on a temporary basis with John Cleary taking over the role.
Ricken is to take a sabbatical for the rest of the 2022 season for ‘health reasons’, a statement from Cork GAA this evening confirming the news.
“Cork GAA has confirmed that Cork Senior Football manager Keith Ricken has stepped down from the role for the foreseeable future due to health reasons.
“Interim manager John Cleary will fill the role in his absence. We wish Keith a speedy recovery and look forward to seeing him back on the sideline.”
Ricken was appointed as Cork manager last October, having extensive experience in the county with different teams, including guiding the U20 team to All-Ireland glory in 2019.
Castlehaven native Cleary has vast experience, managing Cork to win the All-Ireland U21 title in 2009.
Cork preserved their Division 2 football league status in dramatic fashion last month, with wins over Down and Offaly in their last two games, the latter by a single point in a tense game in Tullamore.
The championship action sees Cork take on Kerry in their Munster opener on Saturday 7 May but the venue of the game is still uncertain. The Cork footballers and management have insisted they will only play the game in Páirc Uí Rinn, with the Munster Council recently switching it to Fitzgerald Stadium in Killarney, due to concerns they held over the capacity of the Leeside venue.
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