Glad to report that the GAA diehards are still the world champions at scoring own goals from all over the park if events this week are anything to go by.

Let’s start with the Galway County Board, who managed to totally ignore the vicious attack on youngster Ollie Canning that made a mockery of their county hurling final between Loughrea and winners Portumna.

Instead of handing out a lifetime man to the moron who stamped on Canning’s face and left him in need of a dozen or so stitches, the Galway board managed to hand out the biggest punishment from the day to his brother Dave for a separate incident.

They also contrived to suspend both the Loughrea manager and secretary for comments they made to the media with regard to the disgraceful treatment dished out to young Canning by Portumna players.

Loughrea have decided not to appeal the decisions, but they are rightly aggrieved by the outcome while those close to Ollie doubt he will ever hurl for the county again -– and he’s still only 18!

Such lenience just a week after all concerned condemned the loutish behavior of the Aussie thugs at Croke Park in the second Compromise Rules test just beggars belief -– or does it?

The GAA has long been good at turning a blind eye to thuggery. And a blind eye to common sense as well to judge by two other decisions announced this week in relation to Croke Park, the jewel in their crown.

First it was confirmed that the GAA turned down a request from Stephen Staunton to allow the Irish soccer team to train at Croker this week ahead of their debut there against Wales next March.

The Irish team are in town for Wednesday night’s game against San Marino at Lansdowne Road, and Staunton thought it might be a good idea to have a run out at Croker ahead of next year’s transfer across the Liffey.

Not so good an idea according to the GAA hierarchy, one of whom told my colleagues at the Sunday Star, “Congress voted to allow soccer into Croke Park from January 1 onwards and we can’t go against that vote.”

What a load of nonsense. As if one training session behind closed doors at Croker by the Irish soccer team is going to do untold damage to the future of the GAA!

It gets worse. Just days after that news came confirmation that the GAA will schedule a full round of National Football League matches next February for the same Sunday that Ireland meet France in the first ever rugby game to be played at Croker.

Yes, that’s right. Just as Ronan O’Gara is kicking off the historic game against the French, so the best Gaelic footballers in the country will be playing National League games and asking their fans to ignore the televised action from the GAA’s own headquarters.

It’s just a pity there’s no shooting yourself in the foot competition at the Olympics. We’d be world beaters with the GAA alone!