By John Fallon

Seven players from the Mountbellew-Moylough face disciplinary action over the incidents which marred their Connacht SFC semi-final loss to Roscommon champions Padraig Pearses last month.

Match referee Jerome Henry from Mayo has named seven players from the Galway champions in his official report and the disciplinary process is now being carried out by the Connacht Council.

Two of the players face allegations of assaulting the referee and a further five have been named for abusing the match official.

A spokesperson for the Connacht Council said the matter is being dealt with at the moment.

“Due process is being followed and it would be inappropriate to comment in any manner on the matter,” he said.

It is understood the seven players named in the referee’s report will be given an opportunity to respond as part of the process.

One player faces allegations of assaulting the referee and a linesman. Another player is accused of assaulting the referee and ‘using abusive conduct’.

Five other players are reported for ‘using abusive conduct’. All the players involved could face lengthy bans.

The incidents happened following a controversial end to the Connacht semi-final clash played at Hyde Park in Roscommon on December 11.

Mountbellew-Moylough, who had recently won the Galway championship for the first time in 35 years, were aggrieved with a number of decisions, particularly one in which they were not awarded a mark. Padraig Pearses then countered to score a winning point deep into stoppage time to advance to a Connacht final meeting with Knockmore next weekend on a 1-8 to 1-7 scoreline.

Referee Henry outlined the abuse he said he suffered directly after he blew the full-time whistle after he was surrounded by irate Mountbellew-Moylough players.

"After I blew my whistle to signal the end of the game, I was knocked forward due to being pushed strongly in my back.

"I was then verbally abused and subjected to threatening conduct by a number of An Creagán/Maigh Locha players."

Henry, who had to be escorted from the pitch by stewards, outlined the verbal abuse which he says was directed at him.

"These An Creagán/Maigh Locha players surrounded me in a threatening demeanour and were less than 1m from me as they shouted verbal abuse such as, 'You f**king cheat,' 'You’re a f**king p***k', 'Why didn’t you give us the f**king mark’, 'You f**king robbed us you p***k”, “What the f**k ref'. 

“You’re a f**king shocking referee”, “Do you not know what a f**king mark is”, “You are a f**king cheat, nothing else, a f**king cheat”."

The Castlebar Mitchels official, who refereed the delayed 2020 All-Ireland minor final last July between Derry and Kerry, said he was pushed in the back on two different occasions and that one of his linesmen had been shoulder-charged.

 

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