Updated at 10am, 17 May
JASON FORDE HAS lost his appeal against the one-match suspension that will rule him out of Sunday’s Munster senior hurling quarter-final against Cork.
The Silvermines clubman took his case to the GAA’s Central Appeals Committee at Croke Park but the decision to suspend him for one game was upheld last night.
Forde was accompanied by county board secretary Tim Floyd and while it was felt that the versatile former minor and U21 team captain had a good case, CAC officials backed the decision of the Central Hearings Committee to suspend the player for ‘contributing to a melee.’
Forde clashed with Wexford manager Davy Fitzgerald during last month’s Allianz Hurling League quarter-final at Wexford Park.
He was initially handed a proposed two-match ban by the GAA’s Central Competitions Control Committee (CCCC) for ‘assault’ of an opposing team mentor.
That infraction was not proven at CHC level but Forde was hit with the lesser ‘contributing to a melee’ charge.
Forde and Tipperary have since confirmed they will not take the option of bringing the case to the independent Disputes Resolution Authority (DRA).
As a result, Tipperary manager Michael Ryan will have to plan without Forde for the weekend’s championship opener at Semple Stadium.
Ryan is also monitoring the fitness of a number of players ahead of the game, namely Patrick ‘Bonner’ Maher, Donagh Maher, Barry Heffernan and Michael Cahill.
