Peter Canavan has supported his former manager Mickey Harte in questioning the consistency of application of the black card during Sunday's Tyrone-Down Ulster championship match, which went to a replay next Saturday (throw-in confirmed for 6.30 in Newry).
He also said he was aware of club referees who simply refuse to administer black cards.
“This is a high-profile game; you can imagine in club games there are a lot of referees who don’t believe in the idea of the black card to begin with and I know some referees have claimed they don’t even bring a black card with them.”
Canavan, speaking in Croke Park yesterday at the Sky Sports launch, said his county had been placed at a disadvantage by referee David Coldrick's differing interpretations of two penalty awards against Down's Conor Maginn and Tyrone goalkeeper Niall Morgan.
“It’s not often I disagree with Mickey and I would have to agree with him this time and you review it – it was an obvious pull down. There are two things about Tyrone’s first goal: where was the advantage rule? If he had played the advantage, Tyrone had a goal.
“There was a chance the penalty would be missed and if it was a deliberate pull-down - which I think most people think it was – then it should have been a black card.
"I have no qualms about Niall Morgan's – I think that was a black card – but it was something the referee missed and if Tyrone had lost that game yesterday there is no question it would have had a major bearing, especially because Conor Maginn had a big influence on the game after that.
Controversial
"So that's the start of it. I have no doubt there will be a lot of controversial and similar incidents to that."
Canavan said his reservations about the black card had been borne out by the fact one of the top football referees – one of those chosen to explain the impact of the rule – had nonetheless found himself in difficulties with the new measure’s implementation.
“Well it was the first high profile game of the year and they put out the best man that they had in the hope it would pass without major controversy. The fact it was a draw has maybe – not saved his skin – but it was deflected from that a wee bit but I have no doubt there would have been more uproar about it had Tyrone lost that game yesterday because it would have been on the back of that decision; so yes, I was surprised.”
Tyrone captain Seán Cavanagh who saved the day for his team with two late frees to earn the replay also reiterated his reservations.
Sceptical
"I was sceptical about the black card from the start because I felt it was making the job of the referee more difficult and referees don't need that at the minute and that's the perfect example.
“The black card, you need it to be consistent and apply it to the letter of the law at county games and already we have seen that is not the case
"It's a tough enough game at times to referee but I thought at the time whenever Mark Donnelly was pulled down I thought maybe that is a black card because the man was straight through and brought down. Playing the advantage rule, you're supposed to get five seconds and Donnelly kicked the ball into the net.
“We scored the penalty but you’re thinking maybe some of the inconsistencies with these rules need to be addressed. David’s a good referee and I’m sure it will take a few games of the championship to iron these things out.
“I always knew it was going to be like this. Championship football has that bite to it. Nobody minded all that much if the rules were broken or slightly changed but there was too much at stake out there today.
“You had 15,000 people watching on and it’s effectively what you train for six or seven months to do.”
