CCCC receive referee’s report on biting complaint

The GAA's Central Competitions Control Committee have received the report on Sunday's Donegal-Dublin match from referee Michael Duffy. It has been confirmed the report contains a reference to a complaint made by Donegal alleging their corner forward Paddy McBrearty was bitten by an opponent.

No decision has yet been made as to whether the CCCC will initiate an investigation into the circumstances of the alleged incident.

According to Donegal sources, the complaint was made at half-time in the match at Ballybofey by the team’s medical officials.

Although original referee Pádraig Hughes had to leave the field after injury in the second half, his replacement took on board the allegations and included them in his report.

It is now up to the authorities to decide whether there is enough evidence to sustain a formal investigation. Donegal medical officials took photographs of the wound and asked one of their Dublin counterparts – team doctor David Hickey was unable to travel on Sunday – to inspect it.

Dublin chair Andy Kettle has expressed surprise at the allegations. “It wasn’t raised with me up there and although I didn’t wait around for long afterwards – I wasn’t travelling with the team – they’d have my phone number and I’ve heard nothing since.

"I also spoke to Jim Gavin and he says nothing was said to the team management when he spoke to Jim McGuinness.

“One of our medical team did go to have a look at the player but it’s my understanding that what he saw was a bruise rather than a laceration.”

Kettle also pointed out that when the team’s statistician, Ray Boyne, was involved in an altercation with Monaghan’s Tommy Freeman five years ago, the incident was not seen by the referee. Later, however, after an approach by the Monaghan county chair, Dublin named the individual involved.

Boyne drove to Monaghan to apologise and accepted a 16-week suspension when proposed by the then CCCC.