GAA president Burns defends Allianz sponsorship stance

GAA president Jarlath Burns has said that a decision to cut ties with Allianz could have left the association potentially "toxic" to other sponsors, warned that the disruption to clubs would have been significant and said that the financial impact would have been severe.

Speaking on RTÉ Radio 1's Saturday Sport, the Armagh man also stressed that the company they deal with – Allianz Ireland – has no links to the ongoing war in Gaza and staunchly defended the GAA's response to the war in Palestine.

Those ties have come under the microscope after Allianz, through its German parent company, was among a series of companies listed in a report by UN special rapporteur on Human Rights in the Occupied Palestinian Territories Francesca Albanese.

A meeting of the GAA's An Coiste Bainistíochta took place on Friday, where it heard a report from the Ethics and Integrity Commission (EIC) on the issue, and it was ultimately decided to accept the recommendation of the EIC to maintain the relationship despite a number of counties carrying motions calling for the GAA to cut ties.

"We saw many statements today coming out of the GAA lacking empathy and that sort of rhetoric"

"My number one priority is I'm accountable to the membership of the GAA and mitigating risk, and we just felt based on the findings of the Ethics and Integrity Commission, that the best course of action was to maintain our link with Allianz.

"I think one of the things that we need to understand is that, let's say if the decision had gone the other way, what landscape would we be facing with today?," Burns added.

"First thing we need to realise is that Allianz covers our public liability, employers' liability, personal accident, property asset insurance and event insurance.

"As well as that, they're the official claims administrator for the GAA injury benefit fund. So the first thing we would have to do is look for a new insurer.

"And if you think of all of that corporate knowledge and embedded cultural history that they have with the GAA, we would be looking for a new insurer for all of our clubs.

"So, for example, Allianz know every club that has mobile posts, where all they are, the catch-nets, those wobbly catch-nets. We would be starting with a blank page. We'd be asking all our clubs to do re-asset inventories.

"As a secretary of a club (Silverbridge) myself, I had to do this three or four years ago for Allianz. That's a very torturous process.

"Second thing we would have to do is to look for a new insurer, and in this modern world of quantum entanglement, it would be impossible to find a company that wouldn't have some sort of a sibling relationship going right back to that conflict.

"The third thing we would have to do is we would have to legally unravel the existing contract, which runs to 2030, which would make us a toxic prospect for any other sponsorship company."

Describing Allianz Ireland as "a very generous sponsor over the past 30 years", Burns opined that a distinction between Allianz Ireland and Allianz had to be made.

"I think it's important to realise that Allianz Ireland is not involved in the war in Gaza and is fully compliant with the law and that came out very strongly in the report."

When asked why the Irish Allianz website referenced the worldwide group in its 'about’ section, Burns accepted the organisational status but reiterated that the GAA dealt with the Irish company solely.

"The company that we do our deals with, and Allianz call themselves whatever they want, is Allianz Ireland, Allianz plc.

"That company is not directly involved in any way in the war of Gaza. And it's important to realise this.

"We saw many statements today coming out of the GAA lacking empathy and that sort of rhetoric.

"Last year, I, as president, issued a statement for the first time ever in the history of the GAA showing support for the for the Palestinians, seeking an end to the war to allow humanitarian help to get in and making a substantial donation to the to the Palestinian people.

"That's the first time the GAA has ever got involved in any geopolitical conflict. So we are never found wanting.

"And I took a lot of criticism for that. But I felt that from a human rights perspective, it was incumbent on the GAA to do that."

"We cannot tie our hands behind our backs in terms of where we get money from for our sponsors"

Burns also said that financial implications had to also be considered when reaching Friday's decision.

"We would have to go right back then to finding out a new sponsor. So if you look at where our competitors are, soccer, (where) their four main sponsorships come from.

"Number one is gambling and betting. We have blacklisted that already, so we are ethically strong there.

"Number two is alcohol. We are ethically strong there, we have blacklisted.

"Number three for them is banking and financial services. If we had decided not to maintain our link with Allianz, I would feel that that would make us toxic in that market.

"And number four, actually, is technology services.

"So where does the GAA get a sponsorship from to fund the infrastructure projects, to fund the €15m that we spend every year on our 350 coaches going around the schools?

"Arsenal are playing Everton tonight. Arsenal will get more out of that broadcast finance for themselves than the GAA will get from our various broadcasting contracts for the whole year.

"We cannot tie our hands behind our backs in terms of where we get money from for our sponsors."

"I always want to be involved in something where I feel that I can be involved in transformational change"

Away from the controversy, Burns touched on the speculation that he could have run as a candidate for Sinn Féin in the Irish presidential election.

While Burns is just over halfway through his term as GAA president, he could potentially have been embarking on a seven-year term as head of State.

However, a role that is largely ceremonial by design, seems to have held limited appeal for the 57-year-old.

'I'm president of the GAA and I'd another year to go," he said. "I have to be honest and say I'm a south Armagh person. I've always lived in south Armagh, I would never, ever want to leave there.

"I always want to be involved in something where I feel that I can be involved in transformational change.

"I don't think the president of Ireland is that type of role.

"I actually feel I can achieve more as president of the GAA and going back to being principal of the largest school in the north – St Paul's in Bessbrook – is the place where I can achieve more transformational change than sitting in Áras an Uachtaráin and talking nicely and opening things.

"That's with the greatest of respect to the position of Uachtarán na hÉireann.

"It was an incredible privilege to be even asked, but it's not something that's on my radar, nor do I think it ever will be."