Waterford manager Davy Fitzgerald thinks that the GAA will have to make examples of those that assault referees.
Multiple Incidents
His words of advice come after multiple incidents recently. In a Wexford Junior Championship game between St Joseph's and Our Lady's Island, a referee was allegedly assaulted at the end of the game.
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A club member has now been suspended indefinitely from the club, St Joseph's announced today as the incident is being investigated.
Following a meeting of the executive committee of St. Joseph’s GAA club , a decision has been taken to suspend indefinitely with immediate effect the club member at the centre of the alleged incident at our junior football game on Sunday morning.
— St.josephsgaa (@stjosephswexgaa) September 26, 2022
Just last month, referee Kevin Naughton was hospitalised after being allegedly assaulted during an U17 championship match in Roscommon. A 96 week ban was proposed for the accused person.
GAA has to be above abuse
Speaking at the launch of Londis's sponsorship of RTÉ show, Ireland's Fittest Family, Fitzgerald believes that the GAA has to be above the regular abuse that officials get in such instances.
We can't tolerate hitting anybody, any official in the GAA. We should be above that, and we're going to have to deal with that, end of story.
He admits that he would have given out to referees in the past and he believes that it is a very tough job to do. Having being involved in the senior level of GAA since 1989, Davy thinks that this problem has always been present in the game and is happening more frequently.
I think it always has been there. If you look back at the last number of years, there always has been incidents. It has been highlighted; it's happened a small bit more recently.
GAA have to make examples
The now Waterford manager thinks that one solution is to have the GAA hand out severe punishments to the guilty parties to quash the worrying trend.
My feeling is, the GAA are going to have to be very hard handed in how they deal with it. They have to make one or two examples. If they have to, they have to, end of story.
Hopefully the GAA will have this problem sorted before his return to the sidelines.
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