Former GAA president Liam O’Neill believes the plug should be pulled on inter-county games now.
The Laois native, who held office from 2012-15, has been sceptical of plans to stage the Championship since Covid-19 took hold earlier this year and now, with case numbers spiralling and the Government considering a NPHET recommendation to move to Level 5 restrictions, he has called for the games to be shelved completely.
Inter-county fixtures are due to resume this weekend for the first time since March.
Speaking on Tús Áite on RTÉ Raidió na Gaeltachta, O’Neill said: “From the start of the year, I’ve said that we need to be careful, to be safe.
“I’m saying now that the inter-county games shouldn’t go ahead. It’s time to put a stop to it now. The numbers are going up every day.
“If we think that’s the right thing to do, then we should do it, regardless of the consequences.
“If we stop it, nobody will be put in danger as a result. If we don’t, they might be. There’s only one decision, to stop it immediately. I think it’s as simple as that.
“There are more important things than matches. Nothing is more important than people’s lives.”
In the interview with Fachtna Ó Drisceoil, O’Neill said he would accept whatever decision was made in relation to the Championship, but that as a citizen on a personal level, he didn’t think it should go ahead.
“As someone who has an interest in GAA, as someone who’s deeply involved in my own club in my community, I don’t think it’s worth the risk.”
