Former Mayo manager James Horan has revealed that he received a call from referee Conor Lane in the days following the 2021 All-Ireland football semi-final.
The call came after a particularly controversial call which saw Mayo player Eoghan McLaughlin sustain a double jaw fracture in the wake of a heavy tackle from Dublin's John Small.
“I’d a long chat with the ref a couple of days after that," Horan told the Irish Examiner Gaelic football show.
"We went through it. I completely see his side when he went through it.”
“He did (ring.) He wanted to pass on his best wishes to the family and the player. He went through it which I thought was a great thing. I won’t go into the detail of what he did or didn’t, messages he did or didn’t receive. The impact it had on him as a person.
“If you remember that play, that ball should have ended up in the back of the net. That was right in my view. The tackle, everything. If that went in I don’t know how I would have reacted. But when he went through it there was so much happening, that game was all over the place.
“Refs have to depend on different things, different people, different information in a split second. I wouldn’t like to do it," he added.
James Horan discusses challenges facing referees
Horan spoke on the podcast about the challenges facing referees at present following several high-profile incidents last weekend.
“I don’t think the rule book is the issue with refereeing,” he said.
“We have to accept there is going to be an error percentage. There just is. Where human beings are involved there is going to be mistakes.
“I think the environment around what refs are operating in is absolutely crazy. It is almost getting dangerous at some games.
“What refs are putting up with, the abuse they are getting, sometimes on the field, sometimes from crowds. It is escalating particularly at club level. I’d say as an association we are struggling for referees."
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