FORMER Donegal star Manus Boyle believes the review into how the GAA is run in the county should have been conducted by an outside body.
And he says it’s crucial that the results of the review due on on May 31 which is being conducted by Croke Park and the Ulster Council, should be made public to clubs and supporters.
All-Ireland winner Boyle also called for change at the top in the Tír Chonaill county, saying the time had come for officials to leave when their term was up.
“After winning two All-Irelands in 1992 and 2012 we have learned nothing, and we have continuously made the same mistakes and we are no further ahead,” he said.
Boyle said his main criticism is that if a fall-out had happened in any other county, it would “have been dealt with very quickly and robustly and we would not be in this mess”.
“I think we need a forensic audit of the whole thing by an outside company, but their report would have to be published in full for the clubs to conduct and finalise.
“The report does not have to point any fingers, but it would show the anomalies and how they happened.”
Donegal face Down in their Ulster SFC opener in Newry on Sunday week amid a background of unprecedented turmoil, and Boyle says the situation can only hinder the team’s chances.
“We had a poor NFL, the Academy incident, the Paddy Carr matter and he did not deserve what happened to him, and then the county board, and you could say we are not in a good position,” he said.
“On Sunday week you would be hoping to get a reaction from the players and if we don’t get the reaction, Donegal supporters who have stayed loyal may turn against the team.
“We all want Donegal to be successful but at present we are lacking leadership in many areas.
“Leadership comes from the bottom up as much as the top down and there seems to be a lack of humility and a lack of a lot of the things that you need to do well.
“No team does well if there is not a respect for the players that are playing, for the mentors, for the fundraisers and for the administrators.
“There has to be a mutual respect for all to get things to work.”
He added that it was time for considerable change in the county.
“We have had people on the playing side and the administration side who have been there for an awful long time so maybe it is time for a big change,” said Boyle.
“That has to come, and the situation with the Academy dealt with openly and the ordinary supporter in Donegal needs to see the report.
“I would hope the report will be made public and I would be asking a lot of questions if it is not.
“It is the ordinary people who finance the GAA one way or another.
“I give 400-500 hours per year to train teams and we deserved that respect to hear what went on and what is going on and what are they going to do now to fix it.”
