Call for counties to discipline players in brawl

The Labour Party spokesman for Sport, Jack Wall, has called on the Dublin and Tyrone county boards to internally discipline the seven players whose suspensions were controversially overturned by the Central Appeals Committee (CDC) this week.

The boards opted not to appeal the €10,000 fines meted out as a result of the outbreaks of violence during the National Football League game at Healy Park, Omagh on February 5th. They also formally apologised at the recent Central Council meeting. However, both boards supported the players' individual appeals last Tuesday, which were subsequently upheld.

"The two county boards have an opportunity to set an example to the rest of the country and show their determination to rid the GAA of violence," said Wall, who is a former Kildare county board chairman.

"I call on them to declare that they will voluntarily not pick those players who received these suspensions so that some justice is seen to be done. Players at senior level should seek to set an example. They are the elite and are heroes to many people. While I recognise the physical nature of football, what we saw in Omagh was unacceptable and irresponsible."

Yet the Tyrone and Dublin managements have included the players in their National League squads this weekend. Dublin play Cork in Páirc Uí Rinn tomorrow night and Tyrone travel to Tullamore to face Offaly on Sunday.

"The consensus among the GAA community, sports fans and the public alike, is that the disciplinary action taken against those players, who were central to the disgraceful scenes in Omagh last month, should stand," said Wall.

"What message does it send out if the threat of legal action can usurp the disciplinary procedures of the GAA and get these bans rescinded? Had such scenes taken place at any junior fixture anywhere else in the country, the least I would expect would be that those involved would be severely punished."

Meanwhile, CDC member Bernie O'Connor has defended the approach taken by the disciplinary body, despite their decisions being overturned on appeal. "I haven't seen the exact ruling but I don't see how we erred in any way. The county boards themselves have publicly apologised for it but then go in defending the players, saying they have done nothing wrong.

"Even without any investigation at all, RTÉ could have picked out the players that misbehaved. But with all our committees we are told now we cannot convict them. The management of the association need to meet. We can only apply to the best of our ability what is given to us."

CDC chairman Con Hogan's one-year term is up next month, as are the terms of another four members of the nine-man panel, including O'Connor. Incoming GAA president Nickey Brennan will name the replacements.

Both the CDC and referees' committee meet next week to discuss the current impasse that the disciplinary procedures have reached. "At our next meeting we intend to discuss what is the best way to deal with such a melee," said referee committee spokesman Fr Séamus Gardiner.

"Tradition has always been the referee goes in and tries to separate them but maybe the referee should stand outside with his linesmen and take notes. We'll be saying to the referees: deal with the situation that you see as per rule and leave the rest up to somebody else."