If you get a straight red card at inter-county level at the moment, you probably shouldn't worry about it too much. Odds are, you're going to get off any suspension upon appeal.
While it can be very easy for a referee to produce a red card in the game itself, it seems altogether more complicated for the authorities to actually prove that a player was in the wrong in any given incident.
We saw another example recently, with Armagh pair Stefan Campbell, Aidan Nugent, and Rian O'Neill having their suspensions for their red cards for their roles in a brawl in a league game against Donegal last month overturned.
As a result, they will now be free to face the same opposition in the Ulster championship this weekend.
It is reported that the suspensions for Campbell and Nugen were overturned due to a lack of detail on their dismissals which were dished out for 'contributing to a melee'. The wording of that rule is vague enough that it leaves too much room for interpretation. Ciaran Whelan believes that this is a major problem in the GAA.
Speaking on RTÉ GAA podcast, the former Dublin man said it is far too easy to get a suspension overturned in the GAA, a system he admits he abused in the past, most notably after the 'Battle of Omagh' in 2006. He believes that once lawyers become involved, it is almost inevitable a player will get away without being punished.
In other sports, this just doesn't arise. If someone gets suspended they’re suspended, it’s end of story.
You’ve got to wonder if there is a fundamental problem with the rulebook and how we implement the rules.
There are so many avenues to pursue a technicality because the whole disciplinary system is so complex. The whole rulebook is so open to interpretation and challenge...
Going back to the 'Battle of Omagh’, we were cited by video.
Suspensions were brought forward by the CCCC [but] once the legal people get involved in it they are looking to expose a technicality...
The GAA want to clamp down [on melees] and are asking referees but the reality is a high percentage of lads will get off on a technicality because the process is so complex. Legal people will tie amateur people in knots.
This issue is likely to pop up again throughout the summer, although you would hope that players would be less likely to become involved in needless confrontations now that we are in championship season.
The decision to overturn these bans could certainly have a big say on the meeting between Armagh and Donegal this weekend.
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