The GAA appeals process is a strange beast, as was made plain when Kevin Keane's red card from the Mayo-Donegal quarter-final was rescinded on appeal, leaving him free to play against Dublin today.
Keane was sent off for striking Michael Murphy late in the game. The CHC justified the rescinding on the basis that the 'infraction as alleged was not proven', despite the fact that the incident was captured on television.
As the Irish Examiner has pointed out, 'television camera footage is a primary source in which the CCCC and the CHC have no faith.'
An All-Ireland winner with Donegal, Eamon McGee was sent off in a club game last week while playing for Gaoth Dohair. His appeal failed and he missed yesterday's game against Malin. He was sore about it and sounded off on twitter.
Nothing unusual there, except that McGee took the rare step of admitting his guilt after other incidents which resulted in successful appeals - all in the service of demonstrating what a farce he believes the GAA appeal process to be.
lost my appeal to the red card I got in club game.Irony=any appeal I've won in past I was as guilty as sin the one time I'm innocent I lose.
— Eamon Mc Gee (@EamonMcGee) August 29, 2015
So, perhaps the way to get off on a red card is to commit a stonewall sending off offence. That's the lesson from the Kevin Keane business and from Eamon McGee's career - at least according to him.
