Mayo GAA cut off all official ties with benefactor after 'Horan out' tweet
Mayo GAA have cut off all official ties with benefactor Tim O’Leary after he appeared to call for James Horan to be removed in a tweet.
O’Leary apologised for the #horanout post, owing it to a day of socialising at the England-Ireland Six Nations game in Twickenham on Sunday as Monaghan were beating Mayo by nine points in Clones.
He has also deleted his Twitter account.
Last night, the Mayo executive were directed by delegates to sever their relationship with the head of the Mayo International Supporters Foundation.
Their statement read: “The Mayo GAA Executive can this evening confirm that we have ceased all dialogue with Mr Tim O’Leary.
“Although relations were strained for a number of months, a way forward was agreed in January and it was hoped that both parties would be able to work together for the betterment of Mayo GAA, this however is now not the case.
“The club delegates of Mayo GAA have mandated agreed behaviours based on mutual respect, the exclusion of animosity and the inappropriate use of communication channels such as social media.
“Mayo GAA will not engage with stakeholders whose behaviours deviate from what has been mandated by our clubs and in light of recent social media comments made by Mr O’ Leary engagement has now ceased. Mayo GAA will be making no further public comment on this matter.”
Last year, O’Leary and the foundation had withheld €250,000 funding raised for Mayo as the board executive had not provided an agreed business plan. O’Leary had previously provided a €150,000 donation and had issued court proceedings about retrieving it before the dispute was resolved.
New county chairman Liam Moffatt last month afforded O’Leary and his family an apology after he was the subject of “inappropriate and personal remarks” and O’Leary himself acknowledged regret at some of his behaviour during the stand-off.
Moffatt stated on January 24: “I fully accept that Mr O'Leary's motivation, as indeed all parties' motivation, from the outset was to assist Mayo GAA and it is regrettable that relationships between Mayo GAA and the foundation deteriorated over governance concerns.”
O’Leary expressed delight at a distraction being removed before the start of Mayo’s Allianz League campaigns. It remains to be seen if the €250,000 earmarked for a new academy in the county will be released.
