From today's Indo:
GARDAI have been instructed to provide CCTV and other television footage to lawyers representing three football fans charged with assaulting a referee in Croke Park.
Martin Sludden had to be escorted by gardai after he was confronted by Louth fans following last year's Leinster senior football championship final.
Moments earlier, Mr Sludden had awarded a controversial injury-time goal to Meath, which prevented Louth from winning their first Leinster football title in more than 50 years.
Television replays raised questions about the goal as the ball appeared to have been thrown over the goal line.
Yesterday, three men appeared at Dublin District Court in connection with the July 11, 2010 incident.
Dermot Rogers (44) of Belfry Gardens, St Alphonsus Road, Dundalk, Co Louth; Paul Grimes (40), of Willow Dale, Bay Estate, Dundalk, Co Louth; and Joseph Conlon (23), of Marlbog Road, Haggardstown, Dundalk, Co Louth, have all been charged with assault.
Lawyers representing the men requested that they be provided with CCTV footage and any other television footage on which the gardai may rely.
Judge Bryan Smith made an order for the request to be complied with by June 9. All three men are due to appear before the court again on July 7.
Listen, we're not condoning pitch invasions or violent attacks on referees. But let's just say it's ironic that Sludden's attackers being tried via CCTV footage when video replay - were it sanctioned - would have erased Joe Sheridan's goal and prevented this entire brouhaha.
