PLAYER representatives from the Donegal senior football team are locked in negotiations with the county board to resolve a problem surrounding their team holiday.
After protracted discussions with the county board, it's understood that the All-Ireland finalists will go on a holiday during the three-week break between rounds one and two of the National Football League. The destination will be either Dubai or Miami.
There is a possibility the holiday will clash with the Sigerson Cup, which could lead to some players being forced to withdraw.
Reports indicate that the Donegal players who can't go on the holiday will not receive any form of alternative reward.
Croke Park will provide a cheque of €80,000 towards the team's holiday fund. However, it's understood that Croke Park is insisting that due to tax reasons, it's impossible to provide separate travel vouchers to players who can't go on the team holiday.
The players believe there is room to reach an accommodation with the individuals who can't travel. A sum of approximately €110,000, independent from the grant from Croke Park, has also been raised for the holiday fund.
When asked about the impasse surrounding the players who will be unable to travel, county board secretary Cieran Kelly said: "We are working within the guidelines of the GAA and Revenue."
Kelly stated that tax regulations were stopping the county board providing an alternative compensation to the players who can't go on the holiday.
"Before a county board can draw down the grant for the holiday they have to sign up to those guidelines from Croke Park and that is what we have done," he said.
"This is being driven by one or two individuals. I am not a man for airing stuff in public. I am the county treasurer and I want to do what is right for Donegal GAA. We will work within the guidelines.
"If there are one or two people who want to drive a different agenda that is up to themselves. We were lucky enough that we had the foresight to budget for this at the start of the year.
"Back last January, whenever I was doing the budgets, there was no word of an All-Ireland final. It was the furthest thing from our minds. We are working within the GAA and Revenue guidelines as they supplied to us by the finance directors in Croke Park."
A team holiday after Christmas would have clashed with Paul Durcan's wedding. Although the Allstar goalkeeper informed the squad he wouldn't object if the holiday took place then, the players insisted a date should be found that suited the Four Masters clubman.