Mayo GAA's GUBU saga is pushing dreams of glory deeper into the distance

Who could have foreseen the passion of Mayo GAA and its supporters to win the All-Ireland SFC title (Sam Maguire Cup) for the first time since 1951 being sidetracked by a series of events which, to borrow a phrase from the late Conor Cruise O'Brien, can only be described as grotesque, unbelievable, bizarre and unprecedented (GUBU)?

Those who have studied the details of the special meeting of the Mayo County Board in Westport on May 26 last - a meeting attended by the president and director general of the GAA, Jarlath Burns and Tom Ryan - were left wondering why a sport we all love and enjoy so much has sunk into such a dark, stressful and depressing place.

Delegates heard detailed accounts of threatening, abusive and intimidating language directed at current senior officers of the board that has persisted for a number of years due to historical allegations of mismanagement of the organisation's finances and other affairs.

The meeting declined to name any member of the group of individuals involved in this campaign of harassment.

Two members of the board’s executive - chairman Seamus Tuohy and treasurer Valerie Murphy - became so disturbed by the situation that they submitted statements to An Garda Síochána and engaged legal counsel regarding the matter.

It was also revealed that members of the Mayo senior football squad - those ultimately tasked with the challenge of ending the long-wait for glory - have not been immune to this cancer tearing the sport asunder.

It was revealed at the meeting that five members of the squad left accommodation provided for them by a loyal supporter in Dublin because of an alleged complaint made that it was a non-residential building.

While the Westport meeting achieved much in terms of galvanising support from club delegates for the current officers of the county board, many independent observers were left confused as to why many of the underlying issues at the core of this saga were not addressed in an attempt to put them to bed, although legal constraints may have precluded the board from doing so.

In any event, a key question remains in regard to whether or not this focused campaign to tear down Mayo GAA's current structures will succeed.

The early indications are that it will not.

But because arbitration between the two sides is virtually ruled out at this point, the future of Mayo GAA looks likely to be decided in a courtroom following a prolonged legal battle that is likely to drain much-needed revenue away from the sport.

So the dreams of 'Sam' can be placed on the back-burner for another decade or so, a result that neither side can be happy about.

And that’s the sad part.