Damien Duff was left in the dark on Friday night after a contentious red card was handed to him after the final whistle of Shelbourne's defeat to St. Patrick's Athletic.
Shels went down 1-0 to Pat's after Jake Mulraney's winner 20 minutes from time. It was only Shelbourne's fifth defeat of the season, leaving them in sixth in the table.
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Things kicked off after the final whistle, however, when Shels manager Duff was seen responding to chants from the home fans at Richmond Park, raising his fist to them and shouting from the centre of the pitch.
It was confirmed in the hours after the game that Duff had been sent off - but, speaking to the media immediately after the match, the former Ireland international had no idea whether or not he had been red-carded.
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Damien Duff makes verbal abuse allegations after red card v Pat's
Though a physical red card was not shown to Duff, the match officials confirmed in the hours following the final whistle that they had marked a sending off for him for his actions on the pitch at full-time.
Damien Duff spoke to reporters at Richmond Park after the final whistle on Friday night, and said that any red card he may have received was due to something he "didn't do" - and encouraged fans to consult the pitchside footage to back up his claims.
I'll probably get accused of something I didn't do, whether it's looking to give me a red card post-match, a disciplinary thing, I don't know, but I've been accused of doing something over there. I can't wait to see the footage because that will back me up.
Like I said, I'm getting verbally abused by 1500 fans. I've punched the air - I don't think it's that bad a thing to do. I did it at Dalymount a couple of weeks ago and nearly got my eye taken out by a coin.
I'm very unclear at the minute but, like I said, you'll soon see. I think the footage is there for everyone to see.
The Camac is in your head! pic.twitter.com/56lPADjXeG
— Donal Burke (@donalburke10) June 23, 2023
Footage from the stands, and photography from Sportsfile, showed the gesture Duff was allegedly sent off for. As St. Pat's fans chanted at Duff, he responded by placing one hand on his shoulder and raising his fist towards the home fans. Reports later in the evening confirming that the Shelbourne manager had been sent off for "foul and abusive language and a gesture towards St. Pat's fans."
Whether Duff will face any further disciplinary action remains to be seen, as the ex-Chelsea star alleged that he had been falsely accused of the sending-off offences, and had spent the game receiving abuse from the home fans.
This is not the first time Duff has been sent off in his time as Shelbourne manager, after previously being red carded in an away defeat to Dundalk last year. Curiously, Duff was never red carded during his playing career.
Despite the result, Duff went on to praise his team's performance, saying it was "as good as you'll see from a Shelbourne team here at Richmond Park in a long, long time."
Featured image: Sportsfile
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