The father of Carlow footballer Brian Farrell has been effectively handed a lifetime ban for striking a referee after a recent match and the player himself has also been banned for 12 weeks after being sent off in the same fractious encounter.
Brian Farrell senior was expelled from the GAA at a meeting of the Leinster Council in Portlaoise on Thursday after he was reported for striking Westmeath official Pat Fox seconds after the final whistle in a Leinster club championship clash between his club, Palatine (Carlow), and Rhode (Offaly) in Dr Cullen Park on November 5th.
Five members of the Palatine club appeared before the Leinster Council and were given a variety of bans, but Leinster Council secretary Michael Delaney praised the club "for the honourable way in which they faced these very serious charges".
Brian Farrell junior was sent off during the match - which Rhode won by 1-11 to 2-7 - and was given a 12-week ban for verbally abusing the referee. Niall Reid and Philip Reid, who was sent off during the match, were handed 24-week and four-week suspensions, respectively, for jostling the referee after the final whistle.
Manager Mick Lillis also received a 24-week ban for verbally abusing Fox.
Rhode's Joe Kilmurray was suspended for four weeks.
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