Paraic Duffy has moved to clarify his controversial comments regarding under-the-counter payments to managers. The GAA's director-general told a lecture hosted by NUIG's Alumni Association in Dublin on Tuesday night that a former Ulster inter-county manager has received a payment of £30,000, and suggested that payments to managers were the "biggest single most difficult issue" facing the GAA. But while he stands by his claim, the Monaghan man stressed last night that his remark regarding Ulster being "the main culprits" was taken out of context and explained that he was referring specifically to the situation at club level. "The comments attributed to me as regards Ulster being the main culprits were taken out of context and they were made specifically in reference to the situation at club level," he said. "The point I made is that clubs in Ulster are generally strong in arguing for the importance of volunteerism and our amateur status, yet there is plenty of anecdotal evidence that would suggest many of them are paying managers expenses in excess of those allowed under our own rules. "Some clubs don't seem to appreciate that such payments are a huge threat to our volunteer ethos and amateur status. "However, the problem of managers receiving payments in excess of that allowed is one for the Association generally." Meanwhile, top officials in all nine Ulster counties have denied they are involved in the practice of paying managers, but admit that they are aware of managers being paid. Tweet

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