Kelly calls for lengthy ban in wake of eye-gouging incident

June 28, 2022

A fight breaks out between Armagh and Galway players. ©INPHO/Evan Treacy.

Former GAA president Sean Kelly says the Armagh player who appeared to stick his fingers in Galway full forward Damien Comer's eyes during last Sunday's controversial All-Ireland SFC quarter-final should be hit with a lengthy ban.

“I think first of all there shouldn’t be a witch hunt so they have to look at it very carefully and the players who are guilty, obviously they will have to be dealt with according to the rules, for striking or whatever,” the Kerry-based MEP told RTÉ Radio.

“But I would think that the eye-gouging incident is on a different level and is something that we do not want to see ever happening again in the GAA and I think the one way to make sure that doesn’t happen is by having a very strong deterrent and I would hope that that would be reflected in the punishment dished out to the perpetrator.”

Kelly also said the idea of teams using the same tunnel needs to be looked at.

“I think also we have to look at how the games are managed and particularly I think having the two teams using the same tunnel is a recipe for disaster really,” he continued.

“It’s always a worry that it may happen because all it takes is one person to push up against another or say something and then it can take off without people intending it to happen that way.”


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