It was announced today that those who attacked that soccer referee in the Midlands have been banned from all soccer-related activity under the jurisdiction of the FAI for forty years. Is this the scale of punishment that the GAA needs to start introducing for violence on or near GAA grounds?

Tacaí Liatroma (Leitrim) - Posts: 1029 - 23/11/2018 13:12:10    2152224

Well the supporter who was involved had already received a lifetime ban for an attack on a ref in 2007. These guys sound like low lives and the injuries sustained were very serious. They got what they deserved.
The GAA I'm sure has some individuals who are not without their own issues but I haven't ever seen or heard anything as serious as what happened in this instancee.
The GAA in general is not anything like what these 4 individuals carried out and indeed in some cases the bans handed to players and the inconsistency is plain silly. Head the balls will be part of any support base but these guys should never be let near a ground again. We'll see how that works out.

Dubh_linn (Dublin) - Posts: 2312 - 23/11/2018 14:06:09    2152232

Oldtourman (Limerick) - Posts: 4317 - 23/11/2018 14:39:26    2152240

neverright (Roscommon) - Posts: 1648 - 23/11/2018 15:23:35    2152247

Jail time should follow , also I remember a hurling match in Dublin a few years back and the ref was attacked and his shoulder and arm was broken, I wonder did that attacker ever get punished in the courts??

hipster (Dublin) - Posts: 2509 - 23/11/2018 16:27:43    2152252

The GAA would never have the balls to issue bans like this, there are instances of a number of refs being attacked this year & no follow up. We had a player who had serious facial damage inflicted with a hurl this year & the assailants ban was overturned ? that's the way the GAA works. Fair play to the FAI, fast investigation, big bans & it's made public, in GAA nobody ever knows what players are punished or what they get. GAA discipline is a farce as we saw down in Kerry this year.

Uimhir.a.3. (Galway) - Posts: 409 - 24/11/2018 00:18:53    2152275

Point proven today, as reported in HS, the two Down clubs had bans overturned by the GAA. Despite the video evidence where it clearly shows players, subs, m'ment teams & supporters all involved on & off the field, with reports of even women assaulted & people kicked while on the ground, the GAA do the usual thing & overturn the bans or cut them despite all their bluster about taking it seriously. The FAI might be a joke due to a dictatorship but when it comes to taking action about discipline, they are light years ahead of the comedy that is discipline in the GAA.

Uimhir.a.3. (Galway) - Posts: 409 - 24/11/2018 14:07:09    2152295

Sorry for the late reply on this. I saw those Down clubs' bans were overturned alright. Does anyone know what their argument was? And did the Down County Board try to appeal it?

Tacaí Liatroma (Leitrim) - Posts: 1029 - 08/12/2018 11:24:09    2153661

royaldunne (Meath) - Posts: 19449 - 08/12/2018 22:19:38    2153703

tearintom (Wexford) - Posts: 1328 - 09/12/2018 09:33:31    2153712

jimbodub (Dublin) - Posts: 20600 - 09/12/2018 10:47:50    2153715

perfect10 (Wexford) - Posts: 3929 - 10/12/2018 08:47:37    2153819

Tomsmith here

While youse may shout and roar at the GAA disciplinary process.I seem to recall reading that one person associated with that Referee assault had already been the subject of discipline. Sure if that was/is the case how effective is the FAI disciplinary regime

tomsmith (Cavan) - Posts: 3855 - 24/12/2018 21:57:39    2155109

The fact of the matter is that it is impossible to implement a lengthy ban in the GAA.

The fellas standing at the gate on away games wouldn't have a clue who they were supposed to be keeping out & it would be a brave man who would try to enforce a ban against a local thug at a home game,

MuckrossHead (Donegal) - Posts: 5028 - 26/12/2018 15:21:28    2155125

If your banned from GAA matches for 30 or 40 years, what really stops you from attending matches? In reality your wife, family or whoever will still source match tickets for you, and GAA turnstiles are not designed to identify and turn away individuals. So in reality you will really only lose Club Membership, but that's about it really.

If those guilty of such assaults were hit with €50k or €100k fines through the courts, perhaps they would think twice before going after a referee.

Commodore (Donegal) - Posts: 1106 - 27/12/2018 08:18:28    2155138