Assaults at GAA games

[Milltown Row2]

From twitter:

Not condoning or excusing what happened at Cookstown tonight, but the person involved is apparently a vulnerable adult with special-needs.
People should consider this before commenting or jumping to conclusions about what happened.

Anyone that shouts and abuses referees can be classed as someone with special needs, hope that clears that up

Are you ok at the minute? Genuine question.

I'm fine, I'm not fine with the attitude that it's ok to engage in abusing referees from the sideline, I think those that do have serious issues. They encourage others to behave or feel it's ok also.

Now we have an incident were someone (poster or not) going onto a pitch to do harm, and you are asking whether I'm ok?

There are many people that have lifelong issues or years of bullying and so on, and my heart goes out to them, but not all of them take it upon themselves to enter a field of play of juveniles for them to  witness him coming to attack someone on the pitch.

[Would ye whist]

I think we are all missing the point here, if we remove the gent who stabbed the parties there was a serious issue in  itself which lead up to this in the form of players and mentor haranguing a ref and stopping him from leaving the field of play.

Managers and clubs really need to take a look at their conduct when a manager challenges evry decision a ref makes, the players and bench join in, when the players and bench join in it starts to get the people behind the wire started and therefore makes a rod for a ref. How often do you see a manager or player jostled off the pitch by their supporters due to a error in judgment during play. Managers use refs to mask their own deficiencies at times all to protect their £70 per training session 'expenses'.

At the moment our attitudes are pathetic and I would support a nationwide strike from our refs to get people to pull their head out of their a** 

[Baile Brigín 2]

Would  urge all to tread lightly and with any compassion that can be mustered. This thread could take a very rough turn but it's all relative and we are never in control of all the facts.

I've known him since we went to school together. A very smart man in his topics of interest, his posts were most informative. But he was socially and emotionally on the shorter side of the stick. Would have endured loneliness at best and bullies  at worst as a teenager and young man. Having a family member in this kind of space myself - it's not quite vulnerable adult but it's also not fully fledged everything is going well type adulthood either. Unless you've lived it you never have a clue what these individuals endure in their formative years. It's heartbreaking.

It's a horrible event, I'll be glad to hear when the injured parties and scared children etc involved are improving. And I hope he gets the help and structure he needs.

Edit: I'd noticed his posts here and his social media presence had dissappeared last year and was worried. I really do hope he gets some help as all was clearly not well when that happened.

The world has gone mad.

You can defend your best buddy from school all you want, but don't dare urge me to show compassion for a man who decided himself to pull out a knife and stab someone at a children's football match. I'm just glad the man was stopped when he was because God knows the damage he could've inflicted.

I understand what you're saying, the man might not be the full shilling or may have been dealt a bad hand but let's call a spade a spade, the man stabbed somebody. An absolute disgrace and should be held fully accountable for his actions, regardless of how many times you sat beside him on the bus or shared lunch with him.

He did not say the perpetrator should not be held fully accountable.
But he did say posters should refrain from making ill informed and inflammatory statements.
Do you think that is an unreasonable suggestion?

But that only became a thing when it emegred the chap alledged to have stabbed two.people posts on this board. Locking a conversation about something this serious on thise hrounds would look appaling

[Derryman forever]

I think we are all missing the point here, if we remove the gent who stabbed the parties there was a serious issue in  itself which lead up to this in the form of players and mentor haranguing a ref and stopping him from leaving the field of play.

Managers and clubs really need to take a look at their conduct when a manager challenges evry decision a ref makes, the players and bench join in, when the players and bench join in it starts to get the people behind the wire started and therefore makes a rod for a ref. How often do you see a manager or player jostled off the pitch by their supporters due to a error in judgment during play. Managers use refs to mask their own deficiencies at times all to protect their £70 per training session 'expenses'.

At the moment our attitudes are pathetic and I would support a nationwide strike from our refs to get people to pull their head out of their a**

I could not agree more with this post.

[Itchy]

I think we are all missing the point here, if we remove the gent who stabbed the parties there was a serious issue in  itself which lead up to this in the form of players and mentor haranguing a ref and stopping him from leaving the field of play.

Managers and clubs really need to take a look at their conduct when a manager challenges evry decision a ref makes, the players and bench join in, when the players and bench join in it starts to get the people behind the wire started and therefore makes a rod for a ref. How often do you see a manager or player jostled off the pitch by their supporters due to a error in judgment during play. Managers use refs to mask their own deficiencies at times all to protect their £70 per training session 'expenses'.

At the moment our attitudes are pathetic and I would support a nationwide strike from our refs to get people to pull their head out of their a**

I could not agree more with this post.

I agree with that but I do believe a more hollistic approach is needed as there are lots of issues which are all related.

- Managers and players not respecting the referee
- abuse from supporters
- Vagueness & complexity of the rules
- Inconsistency in refereeing as a result of above
- Lack of young people/former players getting involved due to all of the above
- pressure and effort that goes into preparing a team, hard to take a tight loss if there is perceived injustice

You can see all this is inter-related and it really needs a big coming together of people with expertise to sort it out. A protest might seem like a good idea (maybe it is) but if you want robust long term solutions more than that is needed

[ONeill]

I've never been to an amateur or Sunday league soccer game - does the same go on there or is it worse at GAA games?

[imtommygunn]

Or Irish league? I would have thought they're all not great either. Though I've never heard of a ref being put in his boot with his child in the car at another sport.

[Milltown Row2]

I think we are all missing the point here, if we remove the gent who stabbed the parties there was a serious issue in  itself which lead up to this in the form of players and mentor haranguing a ref and stopping him from leaving the field of play.

Managers and clubs really need to take a look at their conduct when a manager challenges evry decision a ref makes, the players and bench join in, when the players and bench join in it starts to get the people behind the wire started and therefore makes a rod for a ref. How often do you see a manager or player jostled off the pitch by their supporters due to a error in judgment during play. Managers use refs to mask their own deficiencies at times all to protect their £70 per training session 'expenses'.

At the moment our attitudes are pathetic and I would support a nationwide strike from our refs to get people to pull their head out of their a**

I could not agree more with this post.

I agree with that but I do believe a more hollistic approach is needed as there are lots of issues which are all related.

- Managers and players not respecting the referee
- abuse from supporters
- Vagueness & complexity of the rules
- Inconsistency in refereeing as a result of above
- Lack of young people/former players getting involved due to all of the above
- pressure and effort that goes into preparing a team, hard to take a tight loss if there is perceived injustice

You can see all this is inter-related and it really needs a big coming together of people with expertise to sort it out. A protest might seem like a good idea (maybe it is) but if you want robust long term solutions more than that is needed

The referee prepares just as much, these 'injustices' is just an excuse, most of the time the well prepared manager doesn't even know the rules same for well prepared players, I'm bored at times and shocked at how many times I've to explain the rule to an adult.

Referee blows his whistle, rightly or wrongly, you move on. Explain to me the logic of ranting to the ref? I'd be interested in wanting to know how that'll help with the next 50/50 call

[thewobbler]

This will likely be an unpopular opinion, but referees have been feeding this beast for years, by turning a blind eye during matches, and accepting post-match apologies deliberately feigned to ensure a more favourable report. And now they can no longer control the beast.

Now they need to take control again, which means getting together and forcing through a new code, along the lines of:

1. personal abuse from player or mentor - immediate red card.
2. more than two instances from the one side - match abandoned.
3. abuse from supporters - registered as a complaint with their CCCC.  Every second complaint sees the reversal of a home match, or a requirement to play with no spectators for a match.

And re no. 1, suspensions should work on a multiplier level and carried over two seasons. First offence, 1 match ban. Second instance, two match ban, and so on.

Perhaps more importantly, they need to police this from within. If they find tgat one of their own is being lenient on personal abuse, then sanction him.

One season of learning and heartache for players, mentors and supporters would clean up football forever.

[Keyboard Warrior]

I've never been to an amateur or Sunday league soccer game - does the same go on there or is it worse at GAA games?

The verbal's and abuse are much worse at Irish League games.

[RedHand88]

I've never been to an amateur or Sunday league soccer game - does the same go on there or is it worse at GAA games?

Its a GAA problem. I said as much the other day after the Armagh Monaghan game and was told no no of course it isn't. Someone here said it was a problem in all sports. Have never heard of a referee stabbed at any other serious sporting event ever.

[Baile Brigín 2]

I've never been to an amateur or Sunday league soccer game - does the same go on there or is it worse at GAA games?

Never heard of a referee being stabbed at the soccer, so no.

But why even start the whataboutery

[RedHand88]

I think we are all missing the point here, if we remove the gent who stabbed the parties there was a serious issue in  itself which lead up to this in the form of players and mentor haranguing a ref and stopping him from leaving the field of play.

Managers and clubs really need to take a look at their conduct when a manager challenges evry decision a ref makes, the players and bench join in, when the players and bench join in it starts to get the people behind the wire started and therefore makes a rod for a ref. How often do you see a manager or player jostled off the pitch by their supporters due to a error in judgment during play. Managers use refs to mask their own deficiencies at times all to protect their £70 per training session 'expenses'.

At the moment our attitudes are pathetic and I would support a nationwide strike from our refs to get people to pull their head out of their a**

Yep. Spot on. The only reason we are even talking about it is because the referee was stabbed. The behaviour by players and officials in the lead up was absolutely disgraceful, and it wouldn't even be discussed today only for what happened after.
Hopefully this is the turning point.

[armaghniac]

This will likely be an unpopular opinion, but referees have been feeding this beast for years, by turning a blind eye during matches, and accepting post-match apologies deliberately feigned to ensure a more favourable report. And now they can no longer control the beast.

Now they need to take control again, which means getting together and forcing through a new code, along the lines of:

1. personal abuse from player or mentor - immediate red card.
2. more than two instances from the one side - match abandoned.
3. abuse from supporters - registered as a complaint with their CCCC.  Every second complaint sees the reversal of a home match, or a requirement to play with no spectators for a match.

And re no. 1, suspensions should work on a multiplier level and carried over two seasons. First offence, 1 match ban. Second instance, two match ban, and so on.

Perhaps more importantly, they need to police this from within. If they find tgat one of their own is being lenient on personal abuse, then sanction him.

One season of learning and heartache for players, mentors and supporters would clean up football forever.

This kind of approach seems necessary. Personal abuse should not be tolerated at any level.

[JohnDenver]

I've never been to an amateur or Sunday league soccer game - does the same go on there or is it worse at GAA games?

Never heard of a referee being stabbed at the soccer, so no.

But why even start the whataboutery

I don't think O'Neill is going for the "whataboutery" angle. Seemed like a genuine question to me.

I too would be interested in the answer. I am imaging there wouldn't be the same vitriol as you don't have the same parish vibes and that the soccer games are a gather up of people from everywhere with less spectators.