GAA president Christy Cooney has leapt to the defence of under-fire match officials.

Referees and umpires have been heavily criticised in recent weeks, with a number of high-profile errors made, but Cooney is adamant that the men in the middle are better prepared and better equipped than ever:

"There has never been so much training going on for referees and umpires and linesmen. Last Sunday, the instant reaction from most people was 'it could be a square ball' or 'it mightn't be a square ball'. The referee had to make the judgement. I'm sure if he called it the other way there would have been different views as well.

"Every umpire has gone through a rigorous weekend of review and training and tests, and they have all been certified to a standard. There's not an issue around that. We'd be very happy. We got challenges with regard to our umpires last year and we responded to that and so did the National Referees Committee.

"I think it is unfair on Syl [Doyle] and his umpires and unfair on his family. His son has been umpiring with him for quite a while now. It is not an issue as far as I'm concerned. And it shouldn't be made an issue either.

"Let's not just isolate a single incident. They are human beings, they are capable of making a mistake. There will be questionable decisions in every match. It depends where you are sitting, where you are looking at it or whether you are for or against the team in any decision - whether you felt they were wrong or right. So let's not blow this out of proportion." Tweet

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