Contrary to much speculation, Wexford manager Davy Fitzgerald is facing a more stringent punishment than simply being banished from the dugout in the aftermath of Sunday's AHL semi-final defeat to Tipperary.
An eight-week suspension – the prescribed term for ‘physical interference with an opposition player’ – would keep him off the sideline for two championship matches, including the anticipated meeting with provincial champions Kilkenny, but would also require him to play no role in the preparation of the team.
According to Rule 7.5 (e), anyone not subject to match suspensions, which apply to players, shall be suspended from “all functions, privileges and competitions under the association’s control, but not from membership of the association”.
This is a clearly a more severe sanction than the general perception of banishment to the stand for matches and would take Fitzgerald away from training in the run-up to the championship just after he has completed a hugely successful league campaign, which saw Wexford promoted to Division One A for the first time in six years.
In a subsequent high point in the league quarter-finals they also defeated Kilkenny in Nowlan Park for the first time in 60 years.
Suspensions for players run from the day of their last match, generally the fixture in which the infraction occurred, but for non-players any punishment dates from the time it is accepted by the individual or the date of any subsequent imposition.
That can’t be any earlier than this Tuesday when the matter is likely to be considered by the Central Competitions Control Committee at a scheduled meeting to decide on a venue for the last All-Ireland under-21 football final between Dublin and Galway at the end of this month.
Dim view
It is likely the committee will take a dim view of what happened in Nowlan Park, in a match that was broadcast live, despite Fitzgerald’s undertaking that he “wouldn’t do it again”.
He is seen on the field jostling with Tipperary’s Jason Forde after running on in the aftermath of Tipp’s 18th-minute second goal during the build-up to which Wexford’s James Breen was clearly fouled.
Seen by a wide audience the pitch incursion has attracted negative publicity for the GAA and Fitzgerald has arguably made matters worse for himself by appearing to suggest that the action was calculated.
“When Tipp start to get a blitz on you, you just have to – just try to make sure I could lift my lads a small bit. I was hoping they might respond a small bit more. They responded after that which was no harm with a bit of fight.”
He refused to criticise referee Diarmuid Kirwan for the decision but it has been widely remarked that Tipperary got just one free in the remaining 50 minutes of the match.
There is an infraction of ‘discrediting the association’ but it has been made clear by the GAA’s independent tribunal the Disputes Resolution Authority that they won’t stand over any use of this provision as catch-all device for punishing more heavily behaviour that is already dealt with in the rule book.
Precedent suggests that the punishment will be for eight weeks in respect of Fitzgerald’s incursion onto the field in Sunday’s AHL semi-final against Tipperary in Nowlan Park. That was the penalty handed down to Derry football manager Damien Barton after an incident in last year’s McKenna Cup final.
During the match against Tyrone, Barton was permitted to enter the pitch as he was Derry’s designated maor foirne under Rules of Control 1.4. But he became involved in a physical altercation with opposing player Cathal McCarron. Both of them were red carded by Cavan referee Noel Mooney.
McCarron’s one-match suspension meant he missed the first match of his county’s title defence the following year whereas Barton as manager was suspended from the sideline for nearly all of Derry’s league campaign.
The infraction is covered by Rule 7.2 (c) IIa: Any type of physical interference with an opposing player or team official.
Shouldering players
If the CCCC impose the eight-week ban, Fitzgerald will miss Wexford’s opening championship match against one of the Leinster round-robin qualifiers, scheduled for Saturday 27th May and also should they win, the semi-final against provincial champions Kilkenny, scheduled for 10th June.
Should a suspension be recommended it would be open to Fitzgerald to opt for a hearing before the Central Hearings Committee.
Speaking on Monday’s RTÉ GAA Podcast Tomás Mulcahy, who captained Cork to the 1990 All-Ireland title, was critical of the Wexford manager’s actions.
“You cannot enter the field of play. You cannot be squaring up to opponents. You cannot be shouldering players. Maybe the disappointment was from the referee, that he actually let him go back on to the sideline.
“I thought he should have been put up into the stand. It could have been a serious free-for-all if other players had joined in.
“There were frees given against Tipperary where everyone felt they were harsh frees. You didn’t see Michael Ryan running in off the field. He’s not allowed to cross the white line to go in and challenge a player.
“It’s not good enough. He’s a linesman beside him, he can air his grievances to the linesman, there’s a fourth official behind him, but all he wanted to do was go in to Diarmuid Kirwan and it could have turned out to be pretty nasty. When he sees it again he’ll agree he was out of order.”
