SLIGO MANAGER TONY McEntee believes the GAA’s disciplinary system is being “abused by managers and county boards” seeking to get suspensions of players overturned.
The news that cases against against hurlers Rory Hayes and Peter Duggan of Clare, plus Galway’s Cianan Fahy collapsed on Wednesday night brought the GAA’s disciplinary process under further scrutiny this week.
All three bans were dismissed after challenges to the procedural basis of the Central Competitions Control Committee’s meeting.
It’s another unwanted outcome for the GAA’s disciplinary system which has seen countless suspensions overturned on technicalities over the years.
“I think the disciplinary system is a system that is abused by managers and county boards, as opposed to one that is not necessarily an issue over whether it’s fit for purpose,” said McEntee. “I have been on the end of a number of those things.
“I think maybe we need to look at whether if an infraction occurred and if you were at wrong then I think we need to take responsibility for that.
“We had two sendings off this year, one we appealed and the other we didn’t appeal – on the grounds we felt the player got sent off appropriately, so therefore we didn’t feel the need to appeal.
“In the other case we felt he wasn’t sent off appropriately, so we appealed it. I think if we take a rational approach to it, the system is probably fine. But if we want to fight and argue all the time then we’ll find holes somewhere in it.
“It ends up in a legal case, and I know In a lot of the high profile cases – maybe Armagh-Tyrone and Armagh-Donegal – it ends up in a legal case where you have a legal discussion, which anybody can win then.”
Cavan manager Mickey Graham admitted there’s a general feeling that counties can win appeals if they’re brought to the CCCC.
“It has been the case for years now. It’s not just highlighted this year. Obviously there were a couple of high profile cases in football earlier on in the season.
“Look it, if there are loopholes to be found people will find them. It’s up to the GAA maybe to tighten it up in that end of things and nail it down maybe than people finding loopholes.”
