'Surgery needed and quick'

Derry's Conor Glass is tackled by Joe O'Connor and Gavin White of Kerry ©INPHO/James Crombie

Former GAA president Sean Kelly has raised concerns about the future of Gaelic football as a spectacle.

Kelly wasn’t the only one who was unimpressed with last Sunday’s coma-inducing All-Ireland SFC quarter-final between his native Kerry and Derry. The game laid bare many of the problems which the Jim Gavin-led Football Review Committee are currently trying to fix.

Taking to X, the recently-re-elected MEP said: "I presume players are enjoying playing ‘modern’ Gaelic football but, sadly, for more and more people I speak to, it’s not a ‘spectator’ sport anymore. Surgery needed and quick."

Referring to RTÉ commentary on the game, Kelly added: "As Ger Canning said, ‘a game that won’t live long in the memory’, but sadly, that’s true about far too many football games."

I presume players are enjoying playing ‘modern’ Gaelic football but, sadly, for more & more people I speak to, it’s not a ‘spectator’ sport anymore. 😓😥 Surgery needed & quick ! pic.twitter.com/mSmIr0RVPG

— Seán Kelly MEP (@SeanKellyMEP) July 1, 2024