Armagh's Ciaran McKeever sent off for assault in tunnel
Laois 1-15 Armagh 1-10 Sun 18 Mar 2012 O'Moore Park
A controversial red card for Armagh centre-back Ciaran McKeever overshadowed Laois' second league win of the year, with Armagh players, management and supporters confronting referee Michael Duffy at the final whistle in O'Moore Park.
McKeever's dismissal came about in bizarre circumstances, as he was shown a straight red card before play had resumed for the second half, reportedly for an incident that happened in the tunnel at half-time.
McKeever initially refused to leave the field, as he stood in the centre-back position before he was eventually ushered off the field to a standing ovation from the majority of the Armagh supporters in Portlaoise.
There was further drama at the final whistle, as Armagh selector Paul Grimley tried to confront Duffy on the field -- as did a number of players -- while the Sligo official had to run a gauntlet of abuse from disgruntled Armagh fans who lined the tunnel to meet him as he left the field.
The red card, and the fallout from it, took from what was a crucial victory for Laois, who came into the game on the back of two defeats to Dublin and Cork.
They were slow to get going, with Armagh hitting the front early on through points from Brian Mallon (free) and Aidan Forker, but Laois eventually found their stride and led by 0-7 to 0-3 at half-time.
The start of the second half was disrupted by McKeever's dismissal, but Laois took advantage of their extra man to open up an eight-point lead, 0-12 to 0-4.
Armagh launched a spirited comeback, with a goal from Caolan Rafferty helping them whittle the lead down to two points with 10 minutes to go.
They couldn't keep it up though, and some hesitant defending from Armagh in their own penalty area allowed Brendan Quigley's high ball to bounce into the hands of Paul Cahillane. He tucked the ball into the back of the net to help Laois to a second win of the campaign.
Man of the Match: Eoin Culliton (Laois)SCORERS -- Laois: P Cahillane 1-1, C Begley, MJ Tierney (2f) 0-3 each, R Munnelly 0-2, K Meaney, M Timmons, B Sheehan, D Strong, D O'Connor, C Kelly (f) 0-1 each. Armagh: C Rafferty 1-1, B Mallon (2f), A Forker (1f) 0-2 each, A Duffy, G McParland, M O'Rourke (f), J Kingham, J Lavery 0-1 each.
LAOIS -- E Culliton 8; C Healy 7, K Lillis 7, P O'Leary 6; K Meaney 7, M Timmons 6, C Boyle 6; J O'Loughlin 6, B Quigley 7; C Begley 7, B Sheehan 6, D Strong 6; MJ Tierney 6, A Kelly 5, R Munnelly 6. Subs: P Cahillane 6 for Kelly (h-t), D O'Connor 6 for Tierney (56), J Kavanagh for Sheehan (68), C Kelly for O'Loughlin (70)
ARMAGH -- P McEvoy 6; F Moriarty 7, D McKenna 7, A Mallon 6; K Dyas 6, C McKeever 5, P Duffy 6; BJ Padden 6, P Carragher 6; A Forker 6, C Watters 6, A Duffy 6; G McParland 6, B Mallon 6, C Rafferty 7. Subs: J Lavery 6 for Carragher (25), C Vernon 6 for Padden (40), M O'Rourke 6 for McParland (40), J Kingham 7 for Forker (50), R Rafferty 6 for Watters (63).
Ref -- M Duffy (Sligo).
http://www.independent.ie/sport/gaelic-football/mckeever-controversy-overshadows-laois-success-3054121.html
Ammagh Board defend assault by Ciaran McKeever!
ReplyDeleteThe Armagh county board has claimed that Ciaran McKeever was taunted and racially abused by a Laois opponent during last Sunday's stormy Allianz Football League encounter at O'Moore Park.
The board yesterday issued a statement condemning the abuse meted out to the Armagh captain before he was sent off by referee Michael Duffy at the start of the second half for an incident that allegedly took place in the tunnel at half-time.
It's understood that McKeever was called a "British b******" on a number of occasions by the Laois player, who is also alleged to have shouted "God Save the Queen" into his face.
Armagh officials are furious that no action was taken the Laois player and that there was no mention of the abuse in the referee's report.
In the statement, the Armagh county board claims that the verbal abuse breaches Rule 1.12 which states: "The Association is anti-sectarian and anti-racist. Any conduct by deed, word or gesture of a sectarian or racist nature against any player, officials, spectator or anyone else, in the course of activities organised by the Association, shall be deemed to have discredited the Association."
The statement added: "We endeavour to promote respect and fair play both on and off the field and do not condone any action which is a contravention of such fair play. However, we also expect to be treated fairly and the rules of the game to be applied in a fair and equitable manner."
Speaking to the Irish News, Armagh assistant manager Paul Grimley believes players from the south who taunt their northern counterparts about their nationality don't understand the offence their comments can cause.
"I know it is used as a tactic to enrage people, and I know it might be called gamesmanship, but there is a serious side to it," he said.
"When you do that to a northern team, there could be members of that team who have lost relatives during the conflict up here. You can understand the sensitivities of all that. But that goes over the head of some southern players. They don't seem to grasp just how sensitive an issue it can be."
http://www.hoganstand.com/ArticleForm.aspx?ID=164728
5.1 To strike or attempt to strike an opponent with
ReplyDeletehead, arm, elbow, hand or knee.
5.12 To commit any of the fouls listed in Rule 5.1 to Rule 5.8 inclusive against a team-mate.
Penalty -
(i) Order offender off.
GAA: The Armagh county board has backed down on the allegations of racism and sectarianism it levelled at Laois players earlier this week following their ill-tempered National Football League clash with Laois last Sunday.
ReplyDeleteThe Armagh board released a strongly worded statement on Tuesday night in which it claimed captain Ciaran McKeever had been provoked prior to his red card while “racist and personal abuse” directed at their players was going unpunished.
It was claimed that taunts of “British bastards” and chants of “God Save the Queen” were among the insults used.
However, after a meeting brokered by the GAA with their counterparts in Laois earlier today, the Armagh board conceded in a joint statement that that those “allegations do not accurately reflect what occurred in O’Moore Park”.
http://www.irishtimes.com/sports/gaa/2012/0322/1224313754615.html
Fourth Officials can't be trusted and Mckeever walks free
ReplyDeleteTHE GAA are considering amending the powers of the sideline (or fourth) official to clarify the ambiguity surrounding the role, which saw the collapse of the disciplinary case against Armagh’s Ciarán McKeever, who was sent off in the league match against Laois a fortnight ago.
It is believed the possible amendments to the rules that will be looked at include granting fourth officials a specific role in reporting infractions not seen by the referee. As the GAA’s annual congress takes place in little over two weeks it will not be possible to propose any such amendment until next year.
But in the final report of its term of office the current Central Competitions Control Committee is likely to refer the matter to the Rules Advisory Committee with a request that change be put in motion.
McKeever had been shown the red card by referee Michael Duffy at the beginning of the second half after the latter had been told by his fourth official the Armagh defender had kicked out at Laois’s Billy Sheehan when the teams had been on their way back to the dressingroom at half-time.
Having opted to take his case to the Central Hearings Committee – rather than accept the two-match suspension proposed by the CCCC, McKeever was successful in avoiding suspension at last week’s hearing, which cleared him to play and take a crucial role in Armagh’s valuable win over neighbours Down on Saturday night in Armagh.
The CHC found that the sideline official, Stephen Johnston, had exceeded his authority by bringing to Duffy’s attention his opinion that McKeever had taken a kick at Sheehan and that therefore the red card couldn’t stand.
Article 4.1 in the playing rules of the Official Guide the duties of sideline officials are carefully defined: (a) To receive substitution notes giving the name and number of a substitute or temporary substitute and the name and number of the player being substituted or replaced; (b) To record and report all substitutions and temporary substitutions made during a game to the referee for inclusion in the match report; (c) To display by means of electronic or manual board the numbers of players being substituted; (d) To display by means of electronic or manual board the additional amount of time, if any, which will be played at the end of each half, as indicated by the referee to the linesman.
Without the specific responsibility of informing referees about foul play that might have been missed, the fourth official hadn’t the power to report such infractions. Accordingly, the CHC remitted the matter to the CCCC for investigation, given the red card detailed in the referee’s report shouldn’t have been shown.
http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/sport/2012/0330/1224314098756.html
Why did Armagh wrongly brand a Laois player as a racist?
ReplyDeleteIn the two weeks since the game between Armagh and Laois, one question has not been asked:
There have been so many disappointing, if not downright worrying, aspects to this saga that a lot of the core issues surrounding it have been lost in the hysteria.
http://www.independent.ie/sport/gaelic-football/armagh-solo-run-oversteps-the-mark-3067635.html
ARMAGH HAVE been officially informed that no further disciplinary action is being taken against Ciarán McKeever – thus clearing him for Sunday’s crucial Division One relegation showdown against Donegal in Ballybofey.
ReplyDeleteThere had been conflicting reports about the outcome of the GAA’s Central Competitions Control Committee (CCCC) investigation into McKeever’s red card incident in the Allianz Football League game against Laois last month, which also resulted in some unfounded allegations of racist and personal abuse.
But as reported in The Irish Times last Friday, the CCCC were effectively left powerless to pursue the case, having reconvened last Wednesday to review the findings of the Central Hearing Committee (CHC), who dismissed McKeever’s original two-match ban for allegedly kicking out at a Laois player on the basis that it was reported to match referee Michael Duffy by the fourth official, who does not have the power to report such infractions.
http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/sport/2012/0404/1224314348167.html
McKeever had been shown the red card by referee Michael Duffy at the beginning of the second half after the latter had been told by his fourth official the Armagh defender had kicked out at Laois’s Billy Sheehan when the teams had been on their way back to the dressingroom at half-time