THE LONDON footballers have become embroiled in an expenses row with their county board ahead of Saturday’s crucial clash with Antrim at Ruislip in the first round of the All-Ireland SFC qualifiers.
Four members of the panel have been left out of pocket after some of their belongings were stolen during a training session at Greenford in March, the Irish Post reports.
Mobile phones, wallets and car keys were taken, with one of the players losing £500 in cash. The players have been told by the board that they do not have insurance to cover the theft.
A request was made to the board to reimburse the players affected, either partially or in full, but that request was turned down.
The London panel have consulted with the Gaelic Players Association on the matter via the panel’s GPA representative Dave McGreevy.
“The players are very disappointed and angry about the Board’s stance on this issue,” McGreevy told The Irish Post. “At first when it happened, the Board actually suggested that we have a whip-round to cover what the lads lost. That wasn’t a joke either.
“We even suggested a partial coverage to offset the cost to the lads but that’s not happening. We should be provided with training facilities that ensure the security of our possessions.
“You also have to bear in mind that the players raised around £6,000 for the County Board recently through a race night and individual player sponsorships.”
County board secretary John Molloy admitted that the initial request to compensate the players was rejected but maintained that the issue will soon be revisited.
“Unfortunately our insurance doesn’t cover us for Greenford,” said Molloy. “But we’ll discuss that again at our next management meeting, which will be in two weeks’ time.
“We turned them down initially but when it was discussed at the last management meeting we unfortunately just ran out of time.”
McGreevy, a key player for London at corner-back, is also currently in discussions with the Board about an outstanding sum of approximately £500 for travel expenses. Molloy says McGreevy has failed to provide adequate receipts, a claim disputed by the player.
A bill for physio equipment, such as strapping and ice packs, was also left unpaid for over six months. As a result, the panel’s physios were unable to order more equipment so players had to go without for a number of weeks.
“The County Board always seem to be cutting corners,” added McGreevy. “It’s a bit of a joke. They have no regard whatsoever for player welfare and they’re more of a distraction for us than anything else.”
