Wexford underage board propose 10-year ban on fan following alleged threats of referee

The Wexford Coiste na nÓg underage Competitions Control Committee have proposed a 10-year ban on a club supporter following an investigation into an incident at the end of a county minor hurling match that resulted in the referee receiving threats.

The match involved Rathgarogue-Cushinstown and Enniscorthy Rapparees in the county minor hurling semi-final, played three weeks ago, which the Cushinstown club won by a single point. The game was played at the Rathgarogue-Cushinstown club grounds with referee Collie Byrne, a former Wexford intercounty footballer, receiving threats from a Rapparees supporter at the end of the game.

The Wexford underage committee, having reviewed the incident following the report of the match referee, decided to take stern action handing down the proposed 10-year ban.

The committee also took into account the seriousness of the alleged threats and banned the supporter from all GAA grounds for a proposed five-year period.

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Having dealt with the report, the committee also decided to hand down a €2,000 fine on the Rapparees club.

In an earlier incident involving the same supporter, when a club mentor lodged a complaint with Gorey gardaí claiming to have been allegedly assaulted during a minor hurling championship game with Liam Mellows, the club handed down a 24-week ban on the supporter involved.

Following this course of action, it’s believed the club will lodge an appeal against the €2,000 fine on the grounds that the supporter in question was no longer a member of the club having already had a ban imposed.

It is not yet known if the supporter will lodge an appeal against the proposed bans.

Last October, Wexford GAA took action regarding another club mentor involved in an alleged assault on referee Michael Lannigan and an umpire following a county Junior A football championship game.

The incident took place at the end of the match between St Joseph’s and Our Lady’s Island with the St Joseph’s mentor being handed the maximum 96-week suspension, while also receiving a ban from attending games on his home pitch at Whiterock Hill in the town.

Also last year, a Naomh Eanna mentor received a 96-week ban for an alleged assault on referee Jimmy Heaney at the end of their Junior B hurling championship game with Na Fianna Clonard.