The Down GAA county final was thrown into jeopardy on Sunday morning, as a bizarre chain of events saw the showpiece between Kilcoo and Burren brought into question.
Pairc Esler is still scheduled to play host to the hotly-anticipated clash at 2:15pm on Sunday, but the buildup to the game has now been taken over by a farcical search for a referee for the game.
In the days leading up to the final, Kilcoo launched a dramatic attempt to remove intercounty referee Paul Faloon from officiating the final, bringing a formal objection to Croke Park's Disputes Resolution Authority over Faloon's appointment, after an initial appeal to the county's hearings committee was rejected.
The DRA also chose not to uphold Kilcoo's complaint, with Down GAA chairman John Devaney seemingly confirming that Faloon would be in charge for Sunday's game.
Strangely, it then appeared on Sunday that Down GAA had chosen to stand Faloon down from the game despite the failure of Kilcoo's appeal, and a surreal chain of events now appears to have the county board scrambling for a referee.
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Kilcoo appeal against Down GAA final referee leads to chaos
On Sunday morning, Paul Faloon was no longer listed as the referee for the Down county final on the county board's website.
Sensational reports in the Irish News suggested that this year's All-Ireland senior intercounty final referee David Gough had been drafted in to replace Faloon for the Down GAA county final.
30 July 2023; Referee David Gough during the GAA Football All-Ireland Senior Championship final match between Dublin and Kerry at Croke Park in Dublin. Photo by Eóin Noonan/Sportsfile
The news was to take yet another twist later on Sunday afternoon.
RTÉ journalist Niall McCoy would confirm that Gough had decided to pull out of officiating the game, leaving the Down GAA final without a referee just over two hours before the scheduled throw-in time.
My understanding now is that David Gough will not be referring today's final, if it goes ahead. https://t.co/oAWObC9xi2
— Niall McCoy (@McCoyNiall) October 15, 2023
There are now serious doubts as to whether the game can still go ahead though, judging by their social media output, the Down county board are charging ahead.
As the scarcely believable fiasco played out around them, the Down GAA Twitter account continued to post graphics building up to Sunday's decider.
🏆 Morgan Fuels Down Senior Football Championship Final 🏆
Burren v Kilcoo
👉🏻 Throw in 2.15pm
🎟️ Tickets should be purchased via BuyTicketApp in advance of the match.
📺 Live on TG4 with deferred coverage on Down GAA TV pic.twitter.com/ODKsOLO0IP— Official Down GAA (@OfficialDownGAA) October 15, 2023
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As it stands, no communication has been made of any cancellation of the Down GAA football final, with county native Brian Higgins reportedly in line to take charge of the game in Gough and Faloon's wake.
More on this story to come as we get it.
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