Patrick Murphy: The GAA’s nakedness has been exposed over its Allianz links

HANS Christian Andersen was not one of the founders of the GAA. The Danish author died nine years before the seven men met in Thurles in 1884 to establish the organisation.However, Andersen left a literary legacy which is as relevant to the GAA today as anything written by its founding members. His folk tale, The Emperor’s New Clothes, is perhaps the most appropriate work to describe the GAA’s current state of denial.The story is about a vain ruler who was fooled into buying what he was told was a wonderful new suit, which was invisible to those who were incompetent or stupid. Not wishing to appear foolish, everyone said he was fully clothed, until one child pointed out that the emperor was in fact naked.Today, the GAA is emperor in Irish sport and as in Andersen’s tale, it claims it is wearing a beautiful suit of clothes, tailor-made by Allianz, the German insurance company. Allianz sponsors the GAA’s national football and hurling leagues.The UN special rapporteur on human rights in occupied Palestine, Francesca Albanese, has identified Allianz among 48 global corporations which, she said, is “profiting from genocide in Gaza”.Francesca Albanese She wrote that “Allianz holds at least $7.3 billion in shares and bonds in Israel”, which helps to subsidise the Israeli government’s war. Allianz is in partnership with Israel and the GAA is in partnership with Allianz.Only one person in Andersen’s tale said the emperor was naked, but several hundred GAA members have pointed out that the Croke Park hierarchy is less than fully clothed.They include such GAA heroes as Colm McAlarney and Ross Carr in Down, Colm O’Rourke in Meath, Dublin’s David Hickey and Donegal’s Brian McEniff. Recently, 32 former Tyrone footballers wrote to this newspaper commending the current county panel for their “courage and character” in debating “the sponsorship of our games by a company that has direct links with the genocide in Gaza”. A democratic organisation might reasonably be expected to debate the moral issue of Allianz’s sponsorship at next week’s GAA’s annual Congress.However, motions from 10 counties calling on the GAA to end its connection with Allianz will not be allowed, because they are “inappropriate” – which is Trump-speak for “we don’t do democracy”. It would be both decent and democratic for the GAA leaders to invite those protesting outside Congress to come inside and speak for the voiceless 72,500 Palestinians who have been killed by Israel (including 601 killed since the “truce” in October) and the 171,000 who have been injured. The GAA hierarchy claims that Allianz Ireland is merely a “sibling or cousin company” of global Allianz, which the UN has accused of profiting from genocide.(Grainne Ni Aodha/PA Wire) However, on its website, the company states that Allianz Ireland is “a wholly owned subsidiary of Allianz Holdings plc and is ultimately owned by Allianz SE” (meaning Societas Europaea, a company registered under European law). Why has the GAA’s Ethics and Integrity Committee offered a different interpretation of Allianz’s corporate structure than Allianz itself?Perhaps the GAA could publish in full that committee’s report and tell us what qualifications, expertise, or training its members have in ethics, so we can judge the validity of their findings. The GAA is not the only Irish organisation with links to Allianz. Last August the Association of Catholic Priests described as an “outrage” the Irish Catholic Church’s connection with Allianz.It said: “For decades, Allianz has been the trusted friend of the Catholic Church… with Church properties in Ireland including places of worship, schools, cars, etc almost all being insured by Allianz as a matter of course.” The Church prays for Gaza, but pays Allianz, which helps to fund Israel’s war. There is more than one Irish hierarchy that needs some clothes. In August 1884, Michael Cusack wrote to Maurice Davin proposing a meeting to establish what became the GAA. He stressed it would need to grow from the grass roots, adding: “Don’t bother your head about Dublin. The place couldn’t be worse than it is.”Not much has changed at GAA headquarters in Dublin. The grassroots are still the organisation’s conscience. So in the absence of democratic debate, next weekend’s Congress will effectively be a fashion parade, where the GAA’s emperors will show off their new suits.Meanwhile 55,000 children in Gaza face acute malnutrition. Over 90% of all children there are suffering from infectious diseases, while they live in tents and makeshift shelters with no insulation from the bitter cold. The GAA has not only sold its soul, it has now lost its heart. If you have an opinion on the issues raised in this article and would like to submit a Letter to the Editor to be considered for publication, please click here. Letters to the Editor are invited on any subject. They should be authenticated with a full name, address and a daytime telephone number. Pen names are not allowed.

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