The Cork footballers have said they will not fulfil their fixture against Kerry after the game was moved to Fitzgerald Stadium earlier this week.
Cork were originally pencilled in for home advantage against Kerry for their May 7 clash but with with Páirc Uí Chaoimh unavailable due to the staging of an Ed Sheeran concert, it was intended to play the game at nearby Páirc Uí Rinn instead.
However, the suitability of the venue was called into question by the provincial body given its limited capacity. The Cork management team led by Keith Ricken insisted that they should retain home advantage regardless and were backed by their county board.
But news broke earlier this week that the game had been moved to Fitzgerald Stadium and the Cork footballers have took issue with the fact.
In a statement released on Thursday, they said: “As players and management our sole focus is on preparing and playing to the best of our ability next month in the Munster Championship, representing our families, our clubs and our county. We did not envisage needing to issue this statement.
“Cork and Kerry have long had an agreement in place to decide home and away fixtures. This year’s fixture is a home game for Cork, as initially announced in a press release by Munster GAA on March 4.
“We believe the decision made this week by the Munster Council must be reversed. The decision to take the game to Killarney is driven by the financial benefits resulting from a larger crowd. We feel this reasoning sets a bad precedent, it is wrong and it goes against the values of the Gaelic Athletic Association.
“As such, we are preparing for the Munster Football Semi-Final on May 7 2022 to be played in Páirc Uí Rinn. We will not be playing the match in any other venue.”
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