Pat Spillane made a startling claim about Colm Cooper's testimonial over the weekend, saying that neither Cooper's club, Dr. Crokes, or Kerry GAA would receive any money raised from the event.
"I am reliably informed that neither Kerry GAA nor Dr Crokes GAA will benefit financially from the gig. They have been instructed by the powers that be not to accept any money from it," Spillane wrote in his Sunday World column.
He claimed Kerry GAA were furious regarding Cooper's testimonial.
Kerry GAA officials are privately seething over it.
The county's GAA Centre of Excellence is now nearing completion - it will have eventually cost €7m and there is still a shortfall of almost €3m.
The issue for the county board is that Gooch's gig was tapping into the people and companies that they would have been looking at to provide finance for the centre.
However, in an interview with The Kerryman, Kerry county board secretary Ian Twiss said no such instructions were given to the Kerry County Committee and that Spillane is "incorrect." Kerry GAA also deny they were enraged by the event.
I don't know where he got that from but it's completely incorrect as far as the Kerry County Board is concerned. We've got no directive from anyone regarding any possible donation from Colm Cooper, nor would I expect we would.
Twiss said Cooper had not been in contact recently and Kerry GAA were reluctant to comment on anything other than his playing career.
We'll leave it take its course and let it play itself out. From our point of view Colm Cooper has been one of our greatest ever footballers and after that we wouldn't want to make any public pronouncement about anything else beyond that.
Spillane suggested Cooper should have followed the format of the upcoming Ó Sés tribute night, which will see all proceeds going to their club.
