Armagh GAA have thrown up a blanket defence-style wall of silence and refused to respond to calls for clarity from this paper.
The Sunday World can reveal the PSNI are investigating a complaint made by one of the near-100 strong party who travelled to Florida as a reward for the team winning the Sam Maguire in July.
The PSNI confirmed to this paper they had received a complaint and they had launched an investigation.
“A report was made to the Police Service of Northern Ireland regarding an incident which is believed to have occurred in the United States in November. Enquiries are currently being carried out and no further details are available at present,” a PSNI spokesperson told the Sunday World.
Yet, incredibly, Armagh GAA have thrown up a blanket defence-style wall of silence and refused to respond to calls for clarity from this paper.
But we can reveal the alleged incident has caused a seismic split within the Armagh football set-up – not least because the county asked fans through all the clubs to donate to the ‘holiday fund’ – and has left the All-Ireland champions in chaos.
Around 30 players, the management team – including hero manager Kieran McGeeney – family members and other senior figures from the Armagh County Board spent a week in the ‘Sunshine State’ in the middle of November.
The trip, which reportedly cost around £3,000 per head, was funded by the GAA in Croke Park and by fundraising carried out by the clubs within the county.
The five-star Eden Roc Hotel in Miami
The group stayed in the luxury five-star Eden Roc Miami Beach resort where rooms start at around £400 per night.
Having flown out from Dublin to Miami on Wednesday November 13 in a celebratory mood, the party arrived back in Dublin a week later on November 20 with a cloud hanging over it.
Overlooking the world-renowned Miami Beach on prestigious Millionaire’s Row, the Eden Roc Miami Beach is famous for hosting Hollywood greats like Elizabeth Taylor, Katharine Hepburn, Lauren Bacall and Humphrey Bogart.
According to their website, the Eden Roc boasts “bright, spacious guest rooms with big balconies put you at the edge of the sea with direct ocean views.
“Three sparkling beachfront pools and an exclusive strip of beach invite you to let loose in a relaxed, fun, tropical setting. With vibrant nightlife and world-famous cultural attractions just minutes away, there’s a little bit of everything for everybody here at Eden Roc.”
During the holiday, those on the trip took in a college football match and a basketball game in between soaking up the sunshine.
However, following the party’s return, a complaint was made to the PSNI which has cast a huge shadow over what has been one of the county’s most successful years, having defeated Galway by a point in the All-Ireland final.
It’s not clear exactly as to the extent of the allegations, but Armagh County Board have pulled the shutters down and refused to engage with the media about it.
It is understood that no complaint was made to the police in Miami at the time.
According to sources, county board officials held a crisis meeting in south Armagh last week that became heated.
We understand the Ulster Council, who oversees Gaelic Games in the province, is also investigating what happened in Miami.
Last Saturday the Sunday World made a series of calls to the publicly available mobile phones of a number of senior figures in the county board.
We sent emails, text messages and even WhatsApp requests for comment on the serious allegations surrounding the trip.
But no phones were even answered, no messages returned and no emails replied to.
Our reporter repeated this process on Friday as we wanted to not only give the county board an opportunity to respond to the claims but to ensure what we are reporting is factual.
Yet again, however, we were hit with a wall of silence.
The five-star Eden Roc Hotel in Miami
But on Saturday afternoon the PSNI confirmed a complaint had been made to them following the return of the travelling party.
A well-placed source said the county appeared to be “burying their heads in the sand”.
“It’s the talk of the county yet the county board are burying their heads in the sand,” said a source.
“An allegation has been made for sure and the county board has a duty to be as transparent as much as they can legally.
“This trip was partly paid for by the GAA fans of Armagh who dug deep into their pockets to give the heroes who gave them the best day of their lives a well-earned break.”
The county received around £100,000 from GAA headquarters at Croke Park to go specifically towards the end-of-season holiday, which happens every year to the All-Ireland winners.
The county asked the clubs throughout Armagh to raise at least £2,000 to go into the fund to make up the difference and to provide money for expenses on the trip.
TírnanÓg GFC in Portadown posted on November 3: “Armagh County Board have asked clubs to support an initiative to help raise funds for the forthcoming Senior Football Team Holiday which will take place in November.
“Following the All-Ireland success and the tremendous impact across the county, the county board feel that Armagh supporters in all our clubs should be given the opportunity to contribute.
“If you would like to contribute to Armagh’s team holiday, please use the link below to donate. Go raibh maith agaibh.”
Other clubs like Crossmaglen held bucket collections before matches last month to raise funds.
“We paid for this trip,” one concerned fan told us. “If something has gone on, we should at least be told that it’s being dealt with properly.”
Armagh start their senior football campaign on January 25 with a trip to Salthill to face their All-Ireland final opponents Galway in the Allianz National Football League.
The allegations could ruin what has been a spectacular year for the Armagh senior football team.
They won the All-Ireland when nobody gave them much of a chance at the start of the year and after ten years in charge there were concerns manager Kieran McGeeney had taken them as far as they could go.
But he proved the doubters wrong in spectacular fashion as he produced a team that may have lacked in style but didn’t lack in organisation and effort.
The team celebrated wildly and players have travelled the length and breadth of the county to show off the famous Sam Maguire trophy.
Manager McGeeney and other senior figures were back in the US this week celebrating their win with the Sam Maguire trophy while drumming up support and raising funds for the county who are currently building a new £10 million training complex.
Despite the cloud hanging over the team on their return, the county celebrated their big year with their annual all-star awards ceremony at the Canal Court Hotel on November 28.
Armagh GAA were contacted for comment but did not respond.